Why I’m innovating around the toilet for PWDs and elderly

The one thing that keeps 26-year-old Sylvia Nyaga awake at night is… toilets! This she says with a subtle laugh. 

“But seriously have you ever thought about how persons with disabilities (PWDs) and the elderly use the toilet? Considering a majority of them live in rural areas where toilets are predominantly pit latrines or the urban slums where these ablution blocks are dirty and shared. I spend long hours thinking of how best to innovate around this challenge and make the solutions accessible and affordable to every single person in need no matter their social status,” she shares passionately. 

Sylvia is the CEO and co-founder of Syna Consultancy, a social enterprise dedicated to providing dignified and sustainable sanitation solutions to marginalised groups. 

“I like to think of myself as a social entrepreneur dedicated to creating water and sanitation solutions for persons living with disabilities in Africa through design and innovation. I’m truly passionate about social impact work and I champion the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 6, of providing clean water and sanitation, and that of SDG 10 of reducing inequalities,” she says. 

Growing up in Nairobi where she was born in a family of two, Sylvia enjoyed cycling and playing outdoor games with her age mates. She was raised by hard-working parents from humble beginnings something she attributes to the creative and innovative mind she is today. She studied Water and Environmental Engineering at Egerton University and because of her passion to create impactful innovations to solve community challenges, after her undergraduate degree, she immediately went to Amani Institute where she studied Social Innovation Management.

“My very first job was a short-term holiday job I got when I was 19. I worked as a sales promotion agent at a wholesale store where I had to convince retailers to buy packs of shaving razors and toothbrushes, both of which were hard to sell but I had the best time meeting and interacting with new people. After that, I spent the rest of my breaks doing professional internships. I had the opportunity to work on hydraulic designs, work in solar-powered borehole projects, use human-centered design to create WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) solutions, fecal sludge management and work on filtration systems that ensured consumers get safe and high-quality water,” intimates Sylvia. 

“After graduating I decided to focus on building a venture that solves the issue of lack of dignified and hygienic toilets for persons with disabilities and the elderly. Sanitation is a human right yet a lot of toilets and bathrooms are not designed to be accessible to persons with disabilities therefore something as simple as using a toilet becomes a daunting task for them and their caregivers,” she continues.  

As the CEO at Syna Consultancy, she is responsible for managing the overall operations. She leads the development and implementation of the overall organisation's strategy and helps define a path towards achieving the enterprise vision. Syna’s flagship product is Utulav, a portable commode-like toilet, that’s hygienic, comfortable, promotes independence and restores dignity in the lives of people with disabilities and the elderly.  A "commode" is a colloquial synonym for a flush toilet. The word commode comes from the French word for ‘convenient’ or ‘suitable’.

As a social entrepreneur and innovator, Sylvia has managed to design a product that has moved from ideation to commercialisation. This, she says, marks a major milestone in her career as she had to master the skills and resilience needed to overcome entrepreneurial challenges. 

Her work has also earned her awards and recognitions that include: The Kenya National Innovation Agency Award 2021 (Assistive Technology category), the Zuri Awards 2021 (Innovation category), and the Iko-Safi Innovation Award from the Kenyan Ministry of Water & Sanitation, and Irrigation in 2019. 

“My most memorable experience thus far has been a Techwomen fellow 2022. This is an initiative by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs that empowers, connects, and supports the next generation of women leaders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) from Africa, Central, and South Asia, and the Middle East by providing them the access and opportunity needed to advance their careers, pursue their dreams, and inspire women and girls in their communities. I visited San Francisco for five weeks where I got the chance to interact with women STEM leaders from around the globe, experience Silicon Valley and get mentorship from engineers at Jacobs in the US,” Sylvia says. 

The social entrepreneur has been lucky to build relationships with various stakeholders not just in the WASH and disability space but also with individuals with business expertise. At the onset of her entrepreneurship journey, she attended her first business incubation training and mentorship at CoElib incubation centre where she also got her first grant to create a prototype and a scholarship to do her postgraduate certificate in Social Innovation Management. She has also gotten support from organisations like Young Water Solutions, an international non-profit organisation that aims to develop and support the potential of young people to contribute to universal water, sanitation hygiene, and water resources management, and Innovate Now, Africa’s first Assistive Technology Accelerator. 

“The most recent relationship I built is with Equity Foundation, which through Equity Bank is offering consumer credit to the users we serve at Syna Consultancy,” she reveals. 

Sylvia describes her leadership style as a democratic one. 

“It is extremely important to me that the team’s work has a direct impact on the overall mission of the organization,” she says. 

Reflecting on what she would tell her younger version, without hesitation, she says she’d tell her to be bold and go after what she wants no matter how uncomfortable it is. 

“When I was around 15, I got the chance to attend my first ever entrepreneurship boot camp and I remember being so scared at the thought of having to spend a few days with strangers and putting myself out there. The slightest chance to cancel my attendance presented itself and I did cancel. After that, it still took me a long time to get into the social entrepreneurship space despite knowing it’s what I truly desired to do. I wish I had the courage from the onset because it would have been worth it,” she concludes. 

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