Sandra Namboozo and Samuel Muyita, two innovative Ugandan entrepreneurs, won the 2025 EPO Young Inventors Prize for their breakthrough product, Karpolax. The European Patent Office honoured them with both the People’s Choice and Community Healers awards.
Their invention, Karpolax, preserves fruit freshness without refrigeration. The sachet, placed in fruit packaging, releases plant-based compounds from cloves, lemongrass, eucalyptus, and wintergreen. These natural substances slow ripening by reducing ethylene gas and block harmful microbes like bacteria, mould, and fungi.
The 2025 EPO Young Inventors Prize celebrates young innovators who solve global problems through science and technology. Among 450 global applicants, Namboozo and Muyita stood out by addressing post-harvest fruit spoilage, a major issue in many African farming communities.
Muyita explained, “Fruit waste from farm to market is a big issue. Karpolax helps fix that while also cutting emissions linked to rotting fruit.”
Working with the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), the team conducted successful trials. They managed to extend mango shelf life from 11 days to 33. Bananas, apples, and oranges also showed positive results.
Farmers and vendors have already embraced the product. One sachet, which costs just Shs2,500, keeps a 5kg fruit box fresh for up to 30 days. Since 2020, over 100 farmers, 20 exporters, and 250 vendors have used Karpolax. The innovation helped prevent more than one million tonnes of fruit from spoiling.
The duo began developing the product as undergraduates at Makerere University. Namboozo studied Industrial Chemistry, while Muyita pursued Civil and Environmental Engineering. They relied on organic ingredients from the start, rejecting synthetic preservatives.
Many people initially doubted their claims. “Some assumed Karpolax altered nutritional value,” Namboozo said. “But everything in it comes from organic plants. It’s completely safe.”
Namboozo and Muyita relied on NARO’s labs and scientists to test and refine Karpolax. Without formal government funding, they pushed forward using academic partnerships and local trials.
The team continues to expand their product’s reach. They now tailor sachets for pineapples, capsicum, and berries. As global demand grows, they plan to scale production.
“This prize brings global recognition,” Muyita said. “It opens doors to investors and customers worldwide.”
The EPO awarded them EUR 5,000 (Shs20.7 million) and another EUR 5,000 for their social impact. They also earned a place among the world’s top ten ‘Tomorrow Shapers’ under 30.
Through Karpolax, they help small farmers cut losses and reduce food waste in an eco-friendly way.
READ: Hamz Unleashed: Charting Uganda’s Future with Innovation and Vision
