Tanzanian innovator turns waste oil into anti-UTI compound

However, a new innovation by a resident of Mbagala in Dar es Salaam, Mr Abdulkarim Mwajasi, 39, could potentially bring an end to the menace.

Interestingly, he is neither a university graduate, nor does he don a lab coat.

But his innovation, which uses used engine oil, is 100 percent safe and 99.99 percent effective solution to prevent UTIs in women.

“I didn’t have much, but I had curiosity,” Mr Mwajasi said, seated cross-legged on a mat in his modest backyard lab—an open-air space with jerrycans, a measuring syringe and jars.

Armed with only a Form Four certificate from Tanga Region, his academic journey seems modest, but with the thirst for knowledge, he turned to observation, experimentation and relentless searching on the web.

Mr Mwajasi’s eureka moment came in 2017, when he stumbled upon a journal noting sulphur’s role in pharmaceuticals. It got him thinking: could the sulphur found in waste engine oil—when treated—be harnessed to combat harmful bacteria?

That curiosity led to the birth of UTI Vector, a liquid antibacterial solution derived from 23 components, including waste petrol and diesel engine oil, seaweed and millet peppers. The product, he says, kills UTI-causing bacteria within seconds on contact with contaminated toilet surfaces.

“People raise their eyebrows when I mention waste oil,” Mr Mwajasi admitted with a laugh. “But when treated properly, it has incredible potential.”

Using a method he developed himself, Mr Mwajasi reduces sulphur in used oil to ppm3600—levels deemed safe—before blending it with organic antibacterial agents.

Rather than rushing to market, he took his creation to the Government Chemist Laboratory Authority (GCLA) and the National Environmental Laboratory for thorough testing.

“I knew the stakes were high. I wasn’t going to risk anyone’s health. I needed evidence, not just belief.”

The lab results stunned even him: 99.99 percent efficacy against UTI bacteria and full safety certification for both human and environmental use.

“That’s when I knew—this was bigger than me. This was for Tanzania. For women. For the environment,” Mr Mwajasi said.

UTI Vector is available in two sizes: 20mls for individual use and 500mls for institutions such as schools, prisons and bus terminals. Three drops in a toilet bowl are all it takes to eliminate harmful bacteria before they can spread.

“Picture a bus stop restroom used by dozens of people every hour. You can’t know who’s infected. But with a few drops, you neutralise the threat,” he explained.

Mwajasi sources his key ingredient—waste oil—from nearby vehicle and motorcycle garages, giving new life to what was once an environmental hazard.

“I’m turning a pollutant into a protector,” he said. “This oil used to pollute rivers and soil. Now, it’s helping prevent infections.”

Each day, he buys up to five 20-litre jerrycans of waste oil, which he processes to produce 150 to 170 20mls bottles. The business is still small-scale, operating out of his backyard, but it has created an informal supply chain and employment for local youth who collect and sell used oil to him.

“I’ve accidentally created a micro-economy,” he chuckled.

Mr Mwajasi is now seeking Sh500 million to establish a fully equipped factory that could scale up production to meet national—and potentially international—demand. He believes the solution could benefit schools, refugee camps, hospitals and disaster zones, where sanitation challenges persist.

“Some UTI medicines contain high sulphur themselves and can be harsh on the body. My product? It prevents, naturally,” he said.

He hopes his story will ignite courage in other young Tanzanians to pursue their ideas, however unorthodox.