Mwale Medical and Technology City (MMTC) is a brainchild project of a Kenyan techie, Julius Mwale. The smart project is tucked away in the heart of Kakamega County, in Butere.
The medical hub was built at a cost of Ksh250 billion using a 100 per cent green concept.
Its construction started in 2014. The facility included the 5000-bed Hamptons Hospital, Hamptons Shopping Mall, Hamptons Cafe, a 10Mega Watts solar plant, 3500 solar streetlights, a 36-hole golf course, 24-hour security, and a fully-fledged accommodation and tourism circuit for tourists.
Mwale’s Rise to Global Scene
Mwale’s rise to a global figure started in Butere where he attended a local primary school in Lunza village. He later joined Mukumu Boys High School in Kakamega.
Upon completion, Mwale pursued a diploma in telecommunications engineering.
His interest in technology compelled him to join the Kenya Defence Forces in 1994. As a soldier, Mwale specialized in technology research and internet infrastructure.
However, in 2000, Mwale was forced to flee the country after clashing with some individuals over intellectual property.
“I left for the USA in 2000. I went to look for asylum because there was a misunderstanding with the technology I had created. I wanted to protect my own identity and the technology that I had,” Mwale stated in a past interview.
Fearing for his life Mwale moved to Uganda where he was also forced to relocate six months later to Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwe, the techie spent nine months successfully convincing the United Nations and he was transferred to the US where he was offered asylum.
How He Established His Empire in the US
After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack that shook the US banking networks, Mwale developed a concept on how to protect the financial institutions.
“9/11 happened when I was at the shelter and an idea came to me that I could create a technology that could protect the banking networks from terrorist attacks…This technology changed my life,” he stated in a past interview.
In 2003, he formed SBA Technologies Inc, where he popularised his two-factor authentication technology.
“My technology became the go-to tech for big banks – Bank of New York, JP Morgan, Bank of America – and that’s how I got money and became very successful,” he revealed.
In 2005, his company expanded with schools and other institutions rushing to acquire his services. The US authorities also patented his works making him among the most sought techies.
Establishing the Medical City
“We started with a feasibility study in 2007-2012. It took five years and we spent $4 million (about Sh500 million). We found that over 180,000 people in East Africa go to India for treatment and so we decided, ‘why can’t we capture that market by putting up a medical city that has an innovation park?” the business merchant indicated in a past interview.
He partnered with Sugarcane farmers and acquired huge tracts of land where he set up his medical city in Butere.
The third phase of the project, which was commissioned in September 2017, included an airport, a water park connected to the hospital by a cable car, a golf resort and residences, and a convention center.
His achievements earned him accolades globally becoming among the most sought after techies in the globe.
