Kenya engineer journal, July/August 2013

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4 KENYA ENGINEER - JULY/AUGUST 2013

News.........................................................10

Energy....................................................15

Oil....................................................27

Infrastructure ............................................. 34

Technology............................................41

Feature...............................................46

Readers Contribution ....................................50

ESA ..............................................................54

IEK ...............................................................55

CONTENTS

38.

59. 45.

35.24.

KENYA ENGINEER - JULY/AUGUST 2013 5

Cor respondence shou ld be addressed to the Institution. Kenya Engineer is published every two months. Views expressed in this Journal are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of the Institution.

MAY/JUNE 2013

A Definitive Publication of Engineers in East Africa & Beyond, since 1972

©Copyright: Reproduction of any article in part or in full is strictly prohibited without written permission from the Institution of Engineers of Kenya.

Editorial Committee:A A McCorkindale – ChairmanF W Ngokonyo - Vice-ChairmanN O BookerJ N KariukiProf M KashordaAllan MuhaliaA W OtsienoS K KibeM MajiwaJ Mutilili

Editorial Assistant:Peninah NjakweDaisy GakuuKevin Achola

Editors:Articulate Edits

Design & Layout:Daniel Wakaba Ndung’u

Sales & Marketing:Joyce NdamaiyuPhylis MuthoniAnastacia KodiOliver Elman

Published by:

P O Box 45754-00100 NairobiTel: 4443649/50/72,Cell: 0719 207 712Fax: 4443650Email: [email protected]/[email protected]

We join the Engineering Fraternity in the entire country in congratulating one of our own, Engineer S.M Kamau, former PS Ministry of Roads who was appointed cabinet secretary for Transport and Infrastructure. We trust that his experience and technical knowhow in the sector will take Kenya’s transport and infrastructure to the next level.

As promised, the July August issue of our magazines gives an elaborate coverage of the IEK International Engineers’ Conference that took place at the Tom Mboya Labour College in the Western region, Kisumu. Further, we have featured stories in engineering economics of innovation, Law making in Kenya & role of engineers, Ills of Privatization, One Laptop – One Child, The Phone revolution among others.

Also contained in this issue:-Energy: 1000KM Kenya – Ethiopia Electricity Highway project launched, while Ethiopia diverts the flow of the River Nile to allow construction of the dam; Read more on the country’s electricity transmission network; Nuclear project in Kenya makes a progress as 11 are sent for nuclear studies in S.Korea; ‘Stars’ in the energy/manufacturing sector are awarded in the 9th Edition of the Energy Management Awards 2013.

Infrastructure: The country’s road link to neighboring Tanzania to be made better following a USD 232.5 million boost; Report indicates that Kenya’s transport systems are inadequate to serve the needs of the 21st century; KURA working towards improving the capitals infrastructure, read on their works in Eastleigh and Upper Hill.

Technology: The country joins the world in celebrating the Word’s Telecommunications Day under the theme “ICT on improving Road safety”; Things take a new turn as telecommunication firms turn to invest in own fiber infrastructure; Growth in internet subscription surpasses voice.

I sure trust you will have a pleasant read!! For any feedback feel free to contact us.

A A McCorkindale – Chairman Editorial Committee

Next issue will be out by 1st September, 2013

Editor’s Note

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8 KENYA ENGINEER - JULY/AUGUST 2013 KENYA ENGINEER - JULY/AUGUST 2013 9

ENERGY

Kenya currently has an installed capacity of 1,576 mega watts of power

according to reports by Kenya Power. The effective power generation as of March 2011 was 1,306MW with the System peak demand of 1,178MW.

This power needs to be delivered to the consumers. The process of via which power produced from power stations is transported to the end consumers is referred to as transmission.

Due to the large amount of power involved, and the properties of Electricity, transmission normally takes place at high voltage (132-kilovolt or above) to reduce losses that occur over long distances.

Electricity is usually transmitted to a substation near a populated area. At the substation, the high voltage Electricity is converted to lower voltages suitable for consumer use, and then transmitted to end users through relatively low-voltage Electricity distribution lines that are owned and operated by the national Electricity utility.

Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco) was incorporated in 2008 to develop new high voltage electricity transmission infrastructure to forming a backbone of the National Transmission Grid.

The company has laid out a transmission programme to run up to 2031 at an estimated cost of Sh200 billion. The first phase of 30 projects is set to be completed between the 2015 and 2017 at a cost of Sh109 billion.

Phase 1 to be implemented by 2017 will involve expanding the transmission network by more than 4,000KM on single and double lines of voltage. The company will lay out a total of 1,471km of 132KV lines, 645km of 400KV lines and 686km of 500KV HVDC lines in the next 3-4 years. 1500 kilometers of 132kV lines;700 kilometers of 220kV lines;1,000 km 400kV lines; and 700 kilometers of 500kV lines.

The company has the following power line projects to implement some of which are ongoing already:• Kilimambogo - Thika - Githambo Line• Mumias - Rangala Line

• Kindaruma - Mwingi - Garissa Line• Eldoret - Kitale Line;Kisii - Awendo

Line• Thika - Kiganjo (Gatundu) Line• Nanyuki - Nyahururu Line• Lessos - Kabarnet Line• Olkaria - Narok Line• Bomet - Sotik Line• Mwingi - Kitui - Sultan Hamud - Wote

Line• Ishiara - Kieni Line• Meru - Isiolo - Nanyuki Line• Olkaria - Suswa Line (implemented

through KenGen)• Sangoro - Sondu Line (implemented

through KenGen)• Kindaruma -Athi River Line• Meru -Maua Line• Nyahururu -Maralal Line• Awendo -Migori -Isabenia Line• Sondu -Homa Bay -Ndhiwa -Awendo

Line• Turkwel -Ortum Line• Sultan Hamud - Loitoktok Line• Konza -Machakos Line• Konza -Kajiado -Namanga Line• Garsen -Hola -Garissa Line• Garissa -Wajir Line• Galu -Lunga Lunga Line.

Electricity Transmission network in Kenya

• Heavy Voltage Transmission Lines


ENERGYThe major lines are: • Suswa - Isinya Line (part of Nairobi

220kV Metropolitan Ring )• Suswa-Ngong Line (part of Nairobi

220kV Metropolitan Ring)• Rabai - Malindi - Garsen - Lamu Line;• Mombasa - Nairobi Line• Olkaria - Lessos - Kisumu Line• Loiyangalani – Suswa Line.

Other than internal transmission networks, the country has also entered in regional power pools which seek to integrate power within the African region:-

Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program (NELSAP) Power InterconnectionThe project which is being implemented under the umbrella of the Nile Basin Initiative. The interconnection projects are a pool of several investment projects that are multinational in nature and consists of construction of 440, 220 and 110 KV transmission lines and Substations to interconnect the electric grids of the Nile Equatorial Lakes (NBI) countries of Burundi, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC), Rwanda and Uganda.The new Kenya-Uganda link is expected to increase the power transfer capacity between the two countries to 350 MW. The projects are financed separately under different financing mechanisms under three project portfolios.

Scope of work1. Kenya (Lessos)-Uganda (Bujagali)

- Interconnection 220 KV 256km financed by AfDB/AfDB

2. Uganda (Mbarara)-Mirama- Rwanda (Shango) - Interconnection 220 KV 172 km financed by AfDB/JICA

3. Rwanda (Ruzizi III) – DRC (Goma) 220 KV financed by AfDB

4. Rwanda (Ruziz i I I I ) – Burundi (Bujumbura) - 220 KV 142 km–financed by AfDB/KFW

5. Rwanda (Birembo –Shango-Gisenyi-Kibuye)-DRC (Goma) - Interconnection 220 KV 200km financed by AfDB/KFW/Government of Netherlands

6. The Rusumo Transmission project - Strengthening the existing regional interconnected system (Burundi +Rwanda) and create new regional interconnection with Tanzania. WB is financing feasibility at a cost of Euro 357,144.

7. K e n y a – T a n z a n i a P o w e r Interconnection - 400 KV transmission

line starting from Isinya substation to Singida in Tanzania through Arusha. Financing of the study: USD 3.4 million by Norway.

8. Iringa – Mbeya Transmission line in Tanzania Reinforcement of the Tanzania grid and extend 400 KV Tanzania Backbone Iringa – Shinyanga (Northern West) and Kenya – Tanzania Interconnection towards Zambia.

9. Uganda – DR Congo (Beni - Bunia) Power Transmission Line. Objective is to build a high voltage transmission line from Nkenda Western Region of Uganda up to Bunia via Beni in the North Eastern region of the D R Congo studies to be financed by Norwegian Government.

Kenya-Ethiopia Power interconnectionThis connection will see to Kenya importing 2,000 megawatts from Ethiopia. However the country will for starters import 400 megawatts. The 1100 km long 500 kV DC transmission project is already at implementation stage with tenders to set up sub-station already on float. In September last year, the board of AfDB approved a

$348 million loan to fund the project, adding to another $684 million loan that had been approved by the World Bank’s board of directors towards the same course.

Kenya-Tanzania Power InterconnectionThis interconnection will start from the proposed Isinya substation south of Nairobi and pass through Arusha before terminating at Singinda in Tanzania. It is expected to be operated at 400 kV and have a power transfer capacity of at least 1000 MW. According to a 5 year strategic report by Kenya Power, the peak demand of power is projected to rise to 2,243MW by 2015/16, an annual average growth of 13%, consistent with Vision 2030, economic targets. To meet projected demand, an additional 1,749MW of firm generation capacity will be installed between 2011/12 and 2015/16.The power distributor intends to Establish a total of 26 substations (Rironi,Lower Kabete,Githuguri,Villa Franca,Uplands,Ndenderu,Lukenya,Maseno,Kericho,Kabaraki,Kapsowar,Keroka,Kianjai,Ahero,Magumu,Chapseon,Elgon View,Kibos,Majengo,Gatundu,Ndarugu,Kangema,Tala,Waguru,Mishimoroni,and Jomvu) – in tendering.


NEWS

The 1,068-kilometre high-voltage electricity highway to be built between

Kenya and Ethiopia can now commence following its launch by the African Development Bank early May this year.

The US$1.26B project which is expected to be completed in less than five years, involves the construction of transmission lines of about 437 km in Ethiopia and about 631 km in Kenya and associated AC/DC converter stations at Wolayta-Sodo (Ethiopia) and Suswa (Kenya) substations with a transfer capacity of up to 2,000 MW in either direction.

Speaking at the launch, organized to brief on the project’s technical resources, African Development Bank’s Regional Director for East Africa Resource Centre (EARC), Gabriel Negatu, reiterated the importance of the project to the East Africa’s cross-border trading.

“The African Development Bank recognizes each of the country’s specific economic blueprints as well as the region’s economic priorities. This project establishes power trade between Ethiopia and Kenya and the wider East Africa region. It not only

improves electricity access at affordable prices and enhances cross-border trade, but also provides an important opportunity to generate revenues for countries having excess power generation capacity, as is the case for Ethiopia,” said Negatu.

He added: “The direct beneficiaries of the project are households, businesses, and industries in communities located in Kenya, the direct off-taker of the power. The interconnection with Ethiopia will ensure access to reliable and affordable energy to around 870,000 households by 2018.”

Financing the projectThe African Development Bank, the World Bank, the Governments of Ethiopia and Kenya will finance the project. In addition the French Development Agency expressed interest to finance the project.

The financing for the project breaks down as follows: African Development Bank, US $338 million; World Bank US $684 million; Government of Ethiopia, US $32 million; Government of Kenya, US $88 million; and the expected financing from the French Development Agency, US $118 million.

The African Development Bank’s financing will be used for the financing of the total cost of the transmission line subcomponent and part of the cost of the converter station subcomponent in Ethiopia; part of the cost of the transmission line subcomponent in Kenya; the total cost of the consultancy services for supervision and management for both Ethiopia and Kenya, as well as part of the cost of capacity building component in Ethiopia and in Kenya.

The World Bank’s financing will be used for the financing of the total cost of the subcomponent converter stations in Kenya and total cost of transmission system reinforcement in Kenya and the major part converter stations in Ethiopia as well as part of the cost of the capacity building component in Ethiopia and in Kenya.

Financing from French Development Agency is expected to cover part of the transmission line subcomponent for Kenya.

Ethiopia diverts the Nile to pave way for construction of damIn a quest to become Africa’s leading electricity exporter, Ethiopia began diverting a stretch of the Nile to make way for a $4.7 billion hydroelectric dam, Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. The project which has been under controversy is worrying downstream countries dependent on the world’s longest river for water as the dam is being built in the middle of the river.

“The dam is being built in the middle of the river so you can’t carry out construction work while the river flowed,” said Mihret Debebe, chief executive officer of the state-run Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation, at a ceremony at the site.

“This now enables us to carry out civil engineering work without difficulties. The aim is to divert the river by a few meters and then allow it to flow on its natural course.”

Centerpiece to the plan is the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam being built in the Benishangul-Gumuz region bordering Sudan. Now 21 percent complete, it will eventually have a 6,000 megawatt capacity, the government says, equivalent to six nuclear power plants.

The Kenya - Ethiopia Electricity HighwayProject





Intelligent electronic hardware development has been met by unprecedented expectations for gadgets that will deliver the many conveni-

ences that our modern word demands. From simple remote controlled televisions, to the smart devices that have become the must have tools for surviving this technologically savvy era.

Recent developments in intelligent electronics hard-ware technology have shown that intelligent elec-tronics are capable of filling many gaps in almost all aspects of life. Think of smart microwaves and fridg-es in the kitchen, to temperature controlled instant showers in bathrooms, to programmable washing machines that have electronic control panels, to automatic cars that make driving so effortless and the smartphones and tablets that avail information instantly at the press/ touch of a button. It is almost impossible for one to find electronic gadgets these days that are devoid of some form of programmed course of action.

While it is true that Africa and indeed Kenya can claim acres on a map of adoption of state of the art intelligent devices, we can hardly claim a foot-print on a similar map of their development. There seems to be little or no activity either, in the pur-suit of such interests. There has seemed to exist a collective surrender of these endeavors to others in other continents where an assumed head start has been equated to unassailable lead.

However, there is hope. The ARDUINO platform that incorporates open source hardware and soft-ware has become very popular in the university communities of Kenya. This is especially so among final year students in electronics related courses like electrical and electronics engineering, Mechatronic engineering and telecommunication engineering who have to implement some form of project in their last year curriculum.

Nowhere is this tendency more evident than in the DeKUT BSc. Telecommunication and Information Engineering class of 2007 who have just completed the course as the first engineering group. Over 70% of their final year projects were implemented on the ARDUINO platform. Although it was encouraging that most projects worked, it might not be the ideal

approach.

Arduino is based on a single board microcontroller and the main objective is to make its use easier in different projects across various disciplines. It

comes with most of the circuit work done and hardly any circuit

making is required on the part of the user. It is a great tool for prototyping and proof a

concept. However, if the intention is to go to production of a real electronic gadget, which is the actual concern of most innovators, then a technol-ogy that allows a deeper understanding of micro-processors and circuit work is mandatory. This dif-ferent approach will also be useful to engineering students who need to practice circuit design and circuit making and understand the interaction of the circuits with microcontroller programs.

The Nanoboard: Electronics Innovators’ Tool


The NANOBOARD programmer is a USB in-circuit programmer for Atmel AVR controllers. It has been designed and built by members of DeKUT fraternity with two Mechatronic Engineering students John Muchiri and Mercy Ngoiri having conceptualized and implemented the idea in consultation with myself.

The vision of the NANOBOARD project is to avail to innovators and learners, convenient tooling for implementing Atmel AVR microcontroller based projects. It is itself based on an ATmega microcon-troller and comes with prewired sockets for con-venient plugging in and programming of any Atmel AVR microcontroller with any number of pins sav-ing time on designing of programming circuits to be directed to design of the actual gadget circuit. It also comes with various libraries for easing of com-mon basic programming tasks.

The idea is to spread the knowledge around micro-controller programming and circuit design for intel-ligent electronics, to inspire more innovations and further enable inspired innovators to pursue actual-ization of their ideas. To facilitate this, the NANO-BOARD design team is organizing various forums to talk about microcontroller programming, circuit design, circuit making and the NANOBOARD. It is intended that this knowledge becomes as com-mon as the knowledge on designing of websites and computer software equipping Kenyan and Af-rican innovators with skills to actualize the ideas they may have on intelligent gadgetry of the future.

• Atmel AVR microcontroller

• ATmega microcontroller

• Alti um Nanoboard 3000

• The Nanoboard programmer

Charles Kagiri is a member of staff in the Department of Mechatronic Engineering, DeKUT.By Charles Kagiri{

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ENERGY

Power deficit in the country could be a thing of the past as a 280-megawatt

(MW) geothermal project is on course to completion. Officials of Sinopec International Petroleum Company (SIPC), a Chinese firm that won the contract to lay pipes from all the steam wells to the geothermal plants in Olkaria, say the project will be completed by March next year.

Reports from the project site indicate that wells targeted for power production have been successfully drilled. The 57 wells can generate 380 MW. The piping systems will deliver steam from geothermal wells to Olkaria 1 unit 4 and 5 and Olkaria 4 power plants each with a capacity to generate 140 mw. It is estimated the project will cost Sh49.3 billion.

Other major works are construction of the power plant and transmission lines and sub stations. Data shows only 200 MW of geothermal power has been exploited in the country out of a potential of about 7,000 MW. The Government plans to develop 5,000 MW of geothermal power by 2030, requiring at least Sh1.53 trillion in funding.

Though the upfront cost for its generation is high, geothermal is cheaper and cleaner than other forms of energy and the government is putting more emphasis on this power source. According to Pierre Audinet, clean energy program team leader at the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance P r o g r a m ( E S M A P ) , g e o t h e r m a l d e l ive r s carbon-free access to electricity. “It is relatively clean and nonpolluting, and can provide constant power.

Fo r m a n y d e v e l o p i n g countries, this is a potentially transformative resource,” says Audinet. The country’s geothermal power exploration receives funding from the World Bank and Kfw of Germany. “This fi nancing is a major step in the journey to realize this reliable energy,” said KenGen Managing Director Eddy Njoroge during the signing of the contract with SIPC.

The European Investment Bank and KenGen are funding high voltage substations and transmission lines while the government is fi nancing the drilling of wells. Experts say when the project is complete, he country will be mitigated from the hydro power supply, which is adversely affected by drought.

280MW Olkaria Power Plant set for completion in March Next Year

USD $ 150 million boost for Kenya’s Menengai Steam fi eld

Menengai geothermal steam field development project will set the

stage for investments that will help meet Kenya’s rapidly increasing demand for power and transform the country into a competitive clean energy economy. It will be financed through a loan of USD 124 million from African Development Fund (ADF) concessionary resources, and a loan and grant totaling USD 25 million from

the scaling-up renewable energy program under the Climate investment funds for which African Development Bank (AfDB) Group is an implementing agency.

Kenya has substantial geothermal potential, and has made this sector a priority in its 2030 Vision, with the objective to develop 5000MW of geothermal energy. The Menengai field alone has a potential of up to 1600MW, and the AfDB Group

support will help develop the steam field for generation capacity of up to 400MW in a first phase, which

is represents a 20% increase in installed capacity of the country.

The project is being co-

financed for a total cost of USD 503 million by a group

of lenders including the French Development

Agency, the European Investment Bank as

well as the Government of Kenya. It will be completed by July 2016.

Following the approval, AfDB’s director for energy, environment and climate change department, Ms. Hela Cheikhrouhou revealed that this is the first ever project under the Climate investments funds dedicated to an African low income country to be approved by a multilateral development bank.

Ms. Hela Cheikhrouhou emphasized that when completed, the project will help trigger substantial increase in the provision of reliable, clean and affordable energy equivalent to the current consumption needs of 500,000 Kenyan households, 300,000 small businesses and some 1000 GWh to other businesses and industries. The project-situated within the Eastern sector of the African Rift system, about 180 km Northwest of Nairobi-will also help to avoid some 2 million tons of CO2 per annum.

• Workers at Olkaria Power plant

• Menengai Crater


Kenya , th rough the Cen t re fo r Energy Efficiency and Conservation

(CEEC) based in Kenya Association of Manufacturers, in conjunction with the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) in the USA conducted an 8-day Certified Energy Manager (CEM) Course at the Nairobi Safari Club Hotel.

The course which will close with an international certification exam will commence on 17th-26th June. “This special in-depth seminar is ideal for professionals who seek to acquire skills to become Certified Energy Managers and auditors”, said a statement by KAM.

Among the topics outlined in the course include; Energy Accounting and Economics, Electrical Systems, HVAC Systems, Thermal Energy Storage Systems, Lighting, Boiler and Steam Systems among others.

The course is open to all people with an engineering background.KAM and CEEC will also hold a three day training on Certified Measurement and Verification Course which will culminate with an exam and candidates issued with certificates.

The training happening from 24th-26th June at the same venue as CEM course includes International M&V Performance, Managing Performance risks associated with end-use energy efficiency, renewable energy and water efficiency among others.

This course is eligible to candidates with engineering, business, law, finance or architectural related degrees.


ENERGY

A total of 168 mega watts energy which equates to Sh9.35 billion has been

saved through an energy conservation programme, Centre for Energy Efficiency and Conservation based in Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM).

The program which was started in 2006 has so far carried out over 300 energy audits. It has also seen to the training of 68 Certified Energy Managers in an aim of boosting the capacity of local personnel in energy management.

“We are answering to the global call to mitigate the impact of climate change through prudent energy management, energy efficiency and other green and clean initiatives”, said Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) chairman, Mr. Polycarp Igathe during the Energy Management Awards,2013.

Mr. Polycarp pointed the connection between energy efficiency and reliable power supply saying that they complement each other. Under that note, he mentioned an earlier collapse of the main grid stating that such power interruptions and others that industries face have a negative impact on their efficiency levels.

“We would like to see commitment on the part of government and indeed all sector players responsible for making power supply reliable, by ensuring there’s a timeframe within which Kenya will celebrate the era of uninterruptible power supply”, said the KAM chairman.

Manufacturers urged the government to allow direct power supply to industries

Large power consumers urge for direct power supplyThe manufacturers in Kenya via the association body, Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) has called on the government to allow large power consumers to buy power directly from the generator.

Speaking during a gala night event, Energy Management Awards 2013, the chairman KAM pointed that the manufacturers in Kenya pay for services they would not pay for in a competitive environment.

“Looking at the cost structure for electric energy, industry is paying for losses that are far much higher because of the inefficiencies in the distribution system”, said Mr. Polycarp.

He also added that developing power wheeling charges should be fast tracked to allow for generation on one end and consumption on the other end through the transmission infrastructure without having to go through a distribution system.

“Kenya’s industry players today and in future will need competitive tariff rates” added Polycarp.

He urged the government to fast track the development of the country’s green energy sources

Speaking also during the event, Hon.Achilo Ayacko of Kenya Nuclear Electricity Board

pointed that adopting Nuclear was a good way of solving power shortages in the country. He noted that the world’s leading countries in the industry sector like USA, South Korea, India, France among others were using nuclear for powering a larger part of their country’s energy needs.

Energy Conservation Programme: Kshs. 9.35B saved

Kenya partners with USA to train Energy

Managers


ENERGY

The country’s sole power distributor, Kenya Power will distribute 3.3 million

bulbs in the country in the campaign to conserve energy. The project which will be phase two of the whole project will be supported by the government of Kenya as well as the French Development Agency at a total cost of Sh1.3 billion.

Two years ago, the programme was started with a Sh500 million efficient lighting project referred to as Badilisha Bulb.

“We worked closely with our domestic customers to retrofit 1.25 million ordinary bulbs with energy saving bulbs”, said Kenya Power MD, Eng.Joseph Njoroge in a speech presented on his behalf during this year’s Energy Management Awards.

He also pointed on the importance of energy sufficiency noting that it greatly impacts on service delivery and that it has direct environmental consequences.

“Energy management is a crucial aspect of sustainability that has significant implications on the economic prosperity of our country”, said Eng.Joseph Njoroge.

3.3 million Energy Saving Bulbs to be distributed in the country

Electricity distributor cashing on new transmission system

T he country’s sole electricity distributor, Ke nya Pow e r p l a n s t o b u i l d

underground cables, an exercise that will see the company spend Sh20 billion every year for the next five years.

The company will shift from wooden poles to concrete poles and also increase transmission stations to boost the country’s supply and quality of power. The country has been experiencing numerous power interruptions following flash floods, strong winds and lightning strikes on the overhead network, which in some places have left transformers destroyed.

“ We intend to spend at least Sh20 billion every year for the next five years as part of our strategic plan to make our distribution system much better and less vulnerable to weather, wind and vandalism,” said Mr. Njoroge.


ENERGY

O rmat Technologies, Inc. has reached commercial operation of Plant 2 in the Olkaria III complex in Naivasha, increasing

the company’s total generating capacity by 36 MW to 611 MW worldwide. The U.S based fi rm also plans to add an additional 16 MW of generation at Olkaria III by building a third plant, which it expects to complete in 2014.

Once Plant 3 is complete, total capacity at the Olkaria III complex will reach approximately 100 MW. The power generated in the Olkaria III complex is sold under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Kenya Power and Lighting Company Limited (KPLC).

Ormat fi nanced the new 36 MW plant, as well as the fi rst two phases of the complex completed in 2000 and 2009, with a $265 million debt facility provided by the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). OPIC will also fi nance the construction of Plant 3 with another $45 million debt facility.

As a clean, base-load power source, the Olkaria III geothermal complex provides the country with a cost-effective alternative to imported oil, offsetting approximately 450,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually.

“Ormat benefi ted signifi cantly from implementing a multi-phased development strategy with Olkaria III and our success in Kenya exemplifies the value of this approach. Drawing knowledge from each phase of development to improve project and plant performance as we methodically expand has allowed us to maximize effi ciency and reduce risk,” said Dita Bronicki, chief executive offi cer of Ormat. “Ormat is proud to be a part of Kenya’s efforts to provide reliable power and reduce emissions for a cleaner future. We have achieved these great accomplishments through the hard work and dedication of many throughout our organization, including Olkaria III’s operation team comprised entirely of skilled local employees.”

Firm commences operation of36 MW Olkaria III power plant

• A Well - top generator at Olkaria Geothermal Power Plant



ENERGY

S tudies on how feasible the wind project by the agricultural listed firm,REA Vipingo is have began

and will pave way for the next phase of the wind project in Kilifi. A German fi rm, EnBW Group won the multimillion dollar contract and will carry out the project after completion of the study.

According to initial reports of the project which surfaced late last year, the wind fi rm will produce 48 megawatts of power from 24 turbines. The project is aimed at curbing inconsistent supply of electricity at the Coast and reduce the company’s operating costs.

Lamuwindfirmprojecttocost€180millionElectrawinds, a Luxembourg based renewable energy company, and IFC InfraVentures signed a cooperation agreement for the development of a large-scale wind project in Mpeketoni, Lamu County. The planned wind farm estimated to cost € 180 million is to have an installed capacity of 90 MW.

This comes at a time when the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco) is putting up a 323km high voltage power distribution line from Rabai to Lamu at a cost of Sh9 billion. The Ketraco project is funded by the China Exim Bank under the rural electrification programme. Currently Lamu is not connected to the national power grid and relies on a 2.4MW thermal power generator running on industrial diesel for its power needs.

Electrawinds has developed the Mpeketoni wind farm since 2011 and considers IFC InfraVentures to be a key partner to further develop, fi nance and, eventually, operate the future wind farm. Now that a joint commitment has been made, a joint development team has been set up to further develop the project. After having obtained the environmental permit, it is expected that the planning permission will also be obtained – later this year.

Another important milestone will be the signing of the Power Purchase Agreement.

Project execution is planned to start in 2014. Electrawinds and IFC will share the project development efforts and the proven track record of IFC is expected to contribute in securing the necessary project fi nance.

By signing the cooperation agreement, Electrawinds and IFC InfraVentures are firming up their common ambition to provide Kenya with a major incentive for renewable energy. Depending on which turbines will be selected, the wind farm in Mpeketoni will consist of between 36 and 45 turbines. The project site spans an area of 800 hectares and is located some 20 km from the new seaport of Lamu which – thanks to current expansion – is gaining in economic importance. It is expected that the economic growth in the area will be accompanied by an increase in local electricity consumption. The Mpeketoni wind farm can help satisfy this need for additional capacity.

IFC’s investment was done through its InfraVentures vehicle, created in 2008 to develop infrastructure projects in emerging markets. Energy is an important basis for

economic development and prosperity. With regard to wind energy, priority is given to countries that have favorable wind conditions and whose governments have a policy supporting renewable energy.

Kenya has been identified as one of the countries with high potential for wind power generation in Africa, with the highest potential around Lake Turkana and a signifi cant potential in the coastal areas.KenGen has set up a 5.11 MW wind power plant at Ngong Hills, with plans to increase the capacity to 25MW. The company is currently the sole generator of wind power in Kenya.

In addition, the listed power generation company has proposed to set up a 100MW wind project in Marsabit, and is carrying out feasibility studies for wind power installation in Isiolo, Lamu and Malindi.

Private investor, Lake Turkana Wind Power Project, is also expected to build a 300 megawatts wind power farm in Loiyangalani at a cost of Sh75 billion.

Feasiblity study on wind fi rm in Kilifi begins

• Wind Turbine


ENERGY

Firm encounters oil butnon-commercial

Oil explorers in the country have a reason to worry after explorer’s non-commercial oil discovery in one

of the listed offshore blocks. Anadarko, an American oil and gas exploration company announced that the Kubwa well on the L-07 block offshore Kenya had encountered noncommercial oil shows in reservoir-quality sands but remained optimistic with the whole activity. “We are very encouraged with our first test of Kenya’s previously unexplored deepwater basin, in which mudlog and well-site evaluation of core data indicates the presence of a working petroleum system with reservoir-quality sands”, said Bob Daniels, Anadarko senior vice-president, worldwide exploration, in a statement.

Daniels said Kubwa tested multiple play concepts and provided useful data regarding the prospectivity of Anadarko’s 6-million-acre position offshore Kenya. The rig will now move to drill the Kiboko well on Block L-11A offshore southern Kenya.

Anadarko operates the L-07 Block with a 50-percent working interest. Co-ventures in the L-07 Block include Total E&P Kenya B.V. (40-percent) and PTT Exploration & Production Plc (10 percent).

However, the firm got positive reports on their Mozambique block. They drilled a new natural gas accumulation near the center of Offshore Area 1 in the Rovuma basin offshore Mozambique. The Orca-1 well cut 190 net ft of natural gas pay in a Paleocene fan system in an accumulation fully contained in Offshore Area 1.

The Orca-1 exploration well was drilled to a total depth of approximately 16,391 feet (4,996 meters), in water depths of approximately 3,481 feet (1,061 meters).

The group plans to drill two appraisal wells after drilling its Linguado and Espadarte exploratory wells on prospects farther north on the block.



ENERGY

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) approved

€115 million in financing for a wind power project in Kenya’s Lake Turkana region. The project will add 300MW to power generation capacity and will benefit Kenya by providing clean and affordable energy that will reduce the overall energy cost to end consumers. Furthermore, the project will allow the landlocked Great Rift Valley region to be connected to the rest of the country through the improved infrastructure linked to the wind farm, including a road, fiber-optic cable and electrification.

The Lake Turkana Wind Power Project includes the construction and operation of a 300 MW wind farm with 365 turbines of 850KW capacity each. This zero-emission project will contribute in filling the energy gap in the country, enhancing energy diversification and saving 16,000,000 tons of CO2 emissions compared to a fossil fuel fired power plant. The project will be implemented by Lake Turkana Wind Power, a special purpose vehicle, created in September 2006. The group of investors includes Kemperman Paardekooper & Partners Africa, Aldwych International Ltd., the Investment Fund for Developing Countries of Denmark, Norfund, and Vestas Wind Systems AS.

Catalytic to this investment is the fact that

the Government of Kenya will construct the 428-km transmission line required to evacuate power from the project site to the national grid. To this end, the Government of Kenya has secured financing from the Spanish Government.

The AfDB has taken a lead role in developing what will be the largest wind power project in Africa. Spearheading the project’s transactions, the Bank built the confidence of potential investors on mitigation of environmental and governance risks, ultimately attracting additional investors in the project such as commercial banks.

As the Mandated Lead Arranger for the project, AfDB will raise over €127 million in senior debt and a further €58 million of subordinated debt. Following Board approval, the Bank will officially launch the project to the public and hold a series of presentations for potential lenders this upcoming May. As requested by the Government of Kenya, the Bank will provide a partial risk guarantee to protect the project against the risk of delays in the construction of the transmission line, thereby providing additional comfort to prospective lenders.

The Lake Turkana Wind Project will enable the country to substitute generation of clean and low cost energy from more expensive plants operating on imported diesel and

fuel oil. In addition, the Project-related investments will increase employment of local labour during the construction phase and upgrade the rura l road network, significantly improving access to markets and business opportunities for the local communities, thus catalyzing additional jobs and income-generation opportunities in this poor and remote area. Moreover, the Project’s Corporate Social Responsibility Program will support investments in the local health facilities, potable water supply and school buildings.

The project will complement other transactions currently underway, which are also supported by the AfDB, including Thika Thermal Project and Menengai Geothermal Power. Building on its integrated approach to infrastructure development, the Bank’s ultimate aim is to establish Kenya, in particular and East Africa, in general, as an ideal place for business and investment through adequate energy supply capabilities.

Bank approves £ 115 million Loan to Turkana Wind Power Project

Feasibility study fornuclear power in Kenya

expected soon

The feasibility study for nuclear power in Kenya is expected soon according to an

official from the Kenya Nuclear Electricity Board who spoke to Kenya Engineer on basis of anonymity.

The project is however not without hurdles. A court case in process challenging the feasibility study of the project. According


ENERGY

to the petitioner, a regional manager for Livestock Institution in Africa, Dr.Joseph Kitur, the project is not properly informed and that it is ill-timed. The case would be mentioned on June 6.

Kenya is planning to set up its first nuclear plant by the year 2022 with an output of up to 100 mega watts of power. The decision to go nuclear is however not yet reached according to our source.

In April this year, the country sent out a team of eleven engineers to undertake postgraduate studies in Nuclear Science at the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) training school. The engineers upon completion will together with other engineers spearhead the construction of the nuclear plants.

A further six students drawn from the Kenya Nuclear Electricity Board,

Kenya Power and Lighting Company and Kenya’s Radiation Protection Board were admitted last year are now concluding their two-year masters studies in power generation, power transmission, and radiation safety.

Locally 28 students sponsored by nuclear board are undertaking Master of Science in Nuclear Science degree course at the University of Nairobi’s Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology.

The plant(s) is set to be put up near the Coast line as is common in other countries where they use nuclear energy. To address the fear of radiation and waste management, the government plans to set up an independent regulator to oversee the licensing and administering of safety standards ahead.

A team of eleven Kenyans was sent to South Korea to undertake postgraduate studies

in Nuclear Science at the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) training school. The team of eleven was picked from various parastatals in the Ministry of Energy.

The candidates will pursue a comprehensive two-year masters degree programme in nuclear engineering. Upon graduation, the nuclear scientists will play a key role in laying the groundwork for Kenya’s nuclear electricity generation plans over the next two decades as envisaged in the Vision 2030 national development policy.

Besides the 11, six students drawn from the Kenya Nuclear Electricity Board, Kenya Power and Lighting Company and Kenya’s Radiation Protection Board admitted last year are now concluding their two year Masters Studies in power generation, power transmission, and radiation safety.

28 students sponsored by Kenya Nuclear Electricity Board (KNEB) are currently undertaking Master of Science in Nuclear Science degree course at the University of Nairobi’s Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology.

“All these organizations require highly skilled manpower, conscious of safety, security and safeguards requirements as per the International Atomic Energy Agency’s guidelines,” said KNEB Executive Chairman , Ochilo Ayacko.

The nuclear power programme has three key facets: a Nuclear Electricity Programme Implementing Organisation (NEPIO) - which is the role KNEB is performing, a regulator who will ensure application of nuclear technology is done safely with safeguards for human life and property. The third arm is the operator, which is the body that will run the nuclear power plant.

The government intends to adopt nuclear energy in an effort to increase Kenya’s installed electricity capacity to over 19,000MW in the next two decades through diversifi cation.

11 sent for nuclear studies in S. Korea



INFRASTRUCTURE

The country joined the world in marking the World Telecommunication and

Information Society Day 7th May in an event themed “ICTs and improving Road Safety”. The event sort to involve ICT in bringing solutions in the transport sector.

In a statement by the PS Ministry of Information and Communication, Bitange Ndemo, he mentioned of a white paper developed by IBM on the country’s transport industry. According to the PS, the report concluded “that our transportation systems are inadequate to serve the needs of the 21st century”.

Kenya’s transport systems inadequate to serve the needs of the 21st centuryThe paper was launched on March 7th 2012, the first White Paper of its kind in Africa on how Nairobi can address its infrastructure and population challenges to transform into a developed and smarter city.

The report proposed that an efficient, cost effective public mass transit system would do the most to alleviate traffic congestion in Nairobi. It also offered solutions such as:

• Mobile phone signal density for pinpointing and predicting traffic problems

• road developers to collaborate with the energy sector to tap into new techniques that use roads to help generate energy

• giving priority to solutions that improve conditions for cyclists and pedestrians

• investing in large-scale public transport system.

“It is increasingly obvious that Nairobi must move beyond the traditional model of just building roads to solve traffic problems. I t needs a combination of physical infrastructure, new ways of thinking and new technologies,” said Andre Dzikus, Urban Mobility Unit, UN-HABITAT.

According to IBM’s Commuter Pain Survey, Nairobi citizens have the fourth most painful commute in the world. City officials estimate that traffic jams cost the economy over Sh50 million per day in lost productivity, fuel consumption and pollution.

The capital’s transport is heavily marked by motor vehicles whereas other forms of transport available like railway are slowly picking up. Railway transport is one of the major sectors envisioned in the Vision 2030 with the aim of revamping it. It is viewed as the best alternative over road for transportation of bulk goods which has been linked to poor road condition. It’s not only faster but it also reduces traffic congestion at some road points.

In late last year, the fully refurbished Syokimau Railway Station was officially opened by the former president, Mwai Kibaki paving way for increased commuter services at the station.

The Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA) last year announced proposals for setting up an elevated highway to replace the Uhuru Highway. The proposed highway would run above the existing Mombasa Rd-Uhuru Highway from Likoni road junction at Ole Sereni Hotel to James Gichuru junction off Waiyaki Way.

There are ongoing road constructions and rehabilitation in the country with the latest to be complete being the Thika-Nairobi super highway. The city will also see to opening of missing road links most of which are near completion.

The report also pointed on better, reliable and affordable energy solutions for smarter cities as well as demographics and security.

IBM has had its operations running from the country to other parts of the country for some time now. It opened its 12th global laboratory in Kenya and the first science and technology research lab on the continent conducting both applied and far-reaching exploratory research.


INFRASTRUCTURE

Building Industry “Aiming Higher” ; Homes Expo, 2013

This y e a r ’ s

Homes Expo, 17th themed “Aiming Higher”

happened at the at the Kenya International Conference Center (KICC) from May 23-26, 2013. The expo links buyers, developers and industry players aimed at giving them an opportunity to revitalize the housing sector which suffered especially from the first quarter of 2013 following the Election period.

This year’s Edition showed a growth in the Kenya Home Expo with an increase in the number of exhibitors, featuring repeat exhibitors, those making debuts and even international investors like Gao YU International Company Limited from China.

The Exhibition is sponsored by East Africa Portland Company, Standard Chartered Bank, Hot Point Appliances and Wananchi Group Limited (Zuku). Other Companies that were showcasing in the event included ;Kenya Engineer, Permagon Group, Tuskys, Kenya Interiors, National Bank of Kenya, CFC Life, Solimpex and Powergen amongst others.

The event was graced by the Governor of Nairobi, Dr. Evans Kidero as the guest speaker who is vital in playing part in the development of this sector especially in the capital Nairobi where he is Governor.

Speaking a t t h e o p e n i n g

of the event, Mr. Daniel Ojijo (the Organizer of the Exhibition and Executive Chairman at Mentor Holdings), pointed that the theme suited the purpose.

“The local housing market faces myriad challenges among them the yawning defi cit which currently stands at an annual demand of 250,000 housing units against the supply of a paltry 60,000,” he said. “Localizing housing solutions will help narrow the gap between supply and demand at the counties thus contributing in bridging the yawning national defi cit.”

Citing analysis from the World Bank and Central Bank of Kenya, he noted that less than one in every 10 Kenyans living in urban areas can afford a mortgage whereas rural incomes are too low to even consider.“A pledge to pursue a policy of lowering mortgage rates and borrowing from similar models in other countries will have a direct impact on the mortgage rates will in turn make mortgages affordable to many-resulting in increased home ownership in the country,” said Mr. Ojijo.

In addition, Hon. Evans Kidero spoke about projects that are underway and those yet to come to facilitate better housing in Nairobi. He also mentioned the issue of land and development. “Lands are allotted with the condition of developing land within 18-24 months,” said Dr. Kidero

He warned t h a t f a i l u r e t o comp ly w i th t he condition, the land would be taken and given to those interested in developing it. With regards to the renewal of leases, he said that the county government would do its part in ensuring that unless value has been added on that land, there’ll be no automatic renewal.

The Governor stated that fi xing the issue on delays of approval was underway pointing that the speed of approval would be increased to a month at the most. The approval will be digitally made and delivered to the developers hence speed ing up t he p roce s s .

Viewing the same set approval fee for all areas in the County as unfair, he said that that would be rectified by revising those terms based on the location of the land (high or low cost areas) and the cost of construction.“By the end of the year, the whole of the CBD will be covered by Surveillance cameras,” said Dr. Kidero. This was to support his statement that security plays a part in the building sector.

The Governor also expressed interest to promote a pleasant shopping experience in shopping malls disregarding parking charges that come with shopping. “The approval of construction of such facilities is conditional to providing adequate parking space,” he said.

• Exhibitors at the Homes Expo, 2013


INFRASTRUCTURE

The African Development Bank approved two loans totaling USD 232.5 million

for the 157.5-kilometre road project from Arusha to Holili in Tanzania, and Taveta to Voi in Kenya, in an effort to reduce the cost of transport and enhance access to agricultural inputs, larger markets and social services within the East Africa Community.

Kenya will receive USD 113.12 million of the two loans approved by the AfDB Board, while Tanzania will be awarded USD 120 million. The Bank facility constitutes 89.1 per cent of the total project cost.

The project, which is expected to be completed by December 2018, is also jointly financed by the Governments of Kenya and Tanzania both contributing USD 15.6 million and USD 12.3 million, respectively. The Africa Trade Fund has extended a USD 0.74-million grant for a small component for trade facilitation at the Namanga border, bringing to USD 262.2 million the total cost of the project.

The Arusha-Holili/Taveta-Voi Road is a transport corridor of the East African Region that links the Northern Corridor at Voi to the Central Corridor across the common border at Holili/Taveta through Arusha, Babati to Dodoma and Singida.

The project will comprise civil works for the construction of the Arusha Bypass (42.4 km) and dual-ling the Sakina-Tengeru section (14.1 km) as well as the construction of two roadside amenities at Tengeru, one on either side of the dual carriageway in

Tanzania. It will also involve the upgrading of the Taveta-Mwatate portion (89 km) and construction of the Taveta Bypass (12 km) and two roadside amenities, one each at Bura and Maktau along the Mwatate-Taveta Road in Kenya.

AfDB’s Regional Director for the East Africa Resource Centre, Gabriel Negatu, confirmed the loan approval, explaining that the road had been identified in the East African Regional Integration Strategy Paper (RISP 2011-2015) and the East African Transport Strategy and Regional Road Sector Development Programme of November 2011 as a priority for intervention.

“The East African Community seeks to improve regional transport infrastructure to support economic and social development programs in the region, promote tourism and foster regional integration and at the same time reduce the cost of doing business by supporting cross-border and international trade,” Negatu said.

For Tanzania, the Second National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty or MKUKUTA II sets as a target raising the growth of the transport sector to 9.0 per cent by 2015. For Kenya, the upgrading of the Voi-Taveta Road falls within Pillar I of Vision 2030, the basis for socio-economic transformation

The Arusha-Holili/Taveta-Voi Road is one of the transport corridors of the EAC region meant to reduce the cost of doing business, increase competitiveness of the

region on the global market and at the same time promote regional integration. The project road links the Northern Corridor to the Central Corridor across the common border of Tanzania and Kenya (Holili/Taveta) through Arusha, Minjingu and Babati to Singida and Dodoma.

The corridor at completion will link the port of Mombasa to northern and northwestern Tanzania and the landlocked countries of Rwanda, Burundi, DRC and Uganda, providing an alternative route to the sea.

Kenya - Tanzania road gets a 232.5 $ million boost

Changing the culture;investing in bicycle and

walk lanes

The rehabilitation and upgrading of the Upper Hill roads is set to bring

with it a new culture that will challenge the already adopted ‘driving culture’. The road which will include bicycle and walking lanes is aimed at encouraging a good walking and cycling environment, cutting the use of cars in commuting.

According to Eng.John Mwatu of Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), urbanization brings with it the use of other means of transportation such as bicycles. He pointed that he himself ought to be going to work with a bicycle instead of a car. The current infrastructure however does not allow.

Nairobi is quickly turning to a modern city. By use of such transportation means, the notorious traffic experienced in the city is more likely to subside if not to end completely.

The government via the ministry of Transport initiated a program to phase out 14-seater matatus from the capital as they are considered a major cause of traffic and replace them with bigger buses. A simple calculation done during the press briefing organised by KURA at Crown Plaza showed that one big bus would replace 7 matatus and thus they are the best option in curbing traffic in the city.


Turning upper hill to Kenya’s Manhattan

KURA refurbishingEastleigh infrastructure

INFRASTRUCTURE

Upper Hill is set to be the country’s next business hub or

say, the country’s next Manhattan. To facilitate this, the government via, Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) is working on roads to facilitate transportation to and from the area.

The project which is currently on phase one is set to take twenty four months with twelve months already elapsed with works at 38 per cent. The project covers Hospital Road, Elgon Road, Kilimanjaro Road, Bunyala Road, Mara road and upper Hill Roads. The roads cover a

distance of 5.4km in total.“So far the contractor has excavated top soils, fi lled several layers of the base and has started preparing for tarmacking in sections like in Elgon Road”, said the General Manager KURA , Eng.John Mwatu during a press briefi ng.

The scope of works in the fi rst phase include the construction of 2 way 2 lane (7 meters) road with a median separator, cycle tracks, footpaths drainage structures and street lighting.“This will be the Phase one of the expected overhaul of roads infrastructure in the Upper Hill area”, said Eng.Mwatu.

Due to the strategic positioning of the ‘city’, it has in the recent past experienced abrupt growth with business institutions relocating their headquarters to Upper Hill. The region is envisioned to be a Future Financial Capital of East African Region.

“Upper Hi l l has exper ienced unprecedented construction of high-rise buildings and conversion of old residential buildings to new offi ces”, pointed the General Manager.

Other identifi ed future business and commercial hubs under the Vision

2030 include Eastleigh. It is intended that these upgrading of the roads will spur economic activity and decongest the Nairobi Central Business District as well as attract investment.

Under the Phase two of the project, works will include re-construction and upgrading of Chyulu,Menengai,Mawenzi,Masaba,Kiambere,Ole Sangale,Karuri Gakure,Kenya Road,Missing Links I,II and III,parts of Hospital Road,Mara road,Upper Hill and Lower Hill roads. They total to an approximate length of 13km.The Government is funding the whole project at a total cost of Ksh2billion with completion set on May 2014.

Kenya Urban Roadsl Authority (KURA) says it’s less than ten months away to completely refurbishing

the transport and drainage system of Eastleigh town in Nairobi. KURA is working on the town’s poor roads and drainage system that it has for a long time been known for.

Speaking to Kenya Engineer, Mr.Cheboi of KURA noted that the authority was 30 per cent complete with its works there.

“The works will be complete within seven and eight months”, said Mr.Cheboi.

Transport in the busy town has for a long time been affected by the poor state of roads. The Drainage system in the place is also a trouble to the residents and business operators. The long rains are known to worsen the situation in the place but this will soon be a thing of the past once the authority completes works in the place.

Other than Eastleigh, KURA is also undertaking road works in Bomas, Kaswea in Eldoret, Upperhill and in Riverside. The Kaswea road project is according to Mr.Cheboi 40 per cent complete while the Upperhill project is ongoing at 35% complete. The Bomas road project had been scheduled for completion this May but that would not be so following arising issues of land. The authority will have to acquire land for the road works which will affect several houses in the area.

• Eng. Mwatu of KURA during a press briefi ng

• Part of a road in Nairobi’s Eastleigh Estate


INFRASTRUCTURE

The goal to achieve 20,000km of national road network from the current 14,000km is set to remain a thing in the future following

what the Transport and Infrastructure Cabinet secretary Michael Kamau terms as under-funding by the Treasury’s in the budget.

“Owing to the colossal amounts required for road construction viz a viz the allocation received and the burden of the ongoing projects, the following projects, among others with ready designs, will not be taken on board,” said Transport and Infrastructure Cabinet secretary Michael Kamau.

The Treasury had allocated the ministry only Sh53.9 billion as opposed to the required Sh97.3 billion. Out of the Sh53.9 billion allocated,Sh20 billion is said to go towards settling pending bills while Sh13 billion would be diverted to the repair of roads recently washed away by heavy rains, cutting further on spending on the new projects.

Among the projects affected are; Kisumu Northern bypass (9km), Mbita-Karangu-Masala (102km), Likoni-Shelly Beach-Vanga (128Km), Kapenguria-Kanyao (83Km) and Baricho,Sigiri bridges, Narok-Northern Tanzania (185 km), Mukuyu-Kisii-Ahero (145km), Eldoret-Kapsabet-Chevakali (95km), Kisian-Busia (104km), Kanyoonyo-Embu (82km) and Iten-Nyaru (52km) roads.

The projects will not kick off this financial year. However, other projects with funders already will proceed as planned. They include the National Urban Transport Improvement Project funded by International Development Association (IDA) to the tune of Sh3 billion and a government component of Sh20 million, the Mombasa Port Area Roads Development Project (Dongo Kundu) funded by JICA at Sh1 billion, the Sh2.4 billion EU funded Merrille-Marsabit road, and the Sh1.25 billion Nuno-Modogashe road.

Other projects that the ministry will commence construction which are fully funded by the government are the Kibwezi-Kitui, Thua Bridge, and Magumu-Njambini, each costing Sh100 million, and the Rumuruti-Maralal road which will cost Sh300 million.

Road projects under - funded;says Cabinet Secretary

Works to begin on a segment of the Northern Corridor.

The release of funds by the International Development Association (IDA) will see to the start of construction

works of the Bachuma Gate-Maji ya Chumvi road. The road whose construction is set to ease traffic congestion on Mombasa Road is part of the great Northern Corridor.

The 53.4 km road stretch located in the coast province will be constructed under the multi-billion Kenya Transprot Sector Support Project (KTSSP).Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has already invited bids and the actual cost of the project will be known once the tendering process is complete.

Works under the project will include replacement of unsuitable material, improvement of sub-grade, cold milling of existing pavement layers, provision of a regulating layer and drainage improvement.

KTSSP funds are also being utilized in such projects in Kisumu-Kakamega-Webuye road, the proposed dueling of Athi River to Machakos and several overpasses in Nakuru. The entire KTSSP programme has seen theWorld Bank commit Sh79.3 billion in the improvement and upgrading of Kenyan roads.

The bank last year approved Sh24.3 billion for reconstruction of Kenya’s major sections in the Northern corridor .The corridor starts in Mombasa proceeding all the way to the DRC though Uganda.The Bachuma Gate-Maji ya Chumvi road is also part of a wider ongoing Nairobi-Mombasa road Rehabilitation project(NMRRP).Essentially, the planned rehabilitation and overlay works would entail; additional surface on the existing 7m wide bitumen surfaced road; adding 2m wide shoulder; improving drainage by installing larger drainage structures; possible road re-alignment in small section near townships and construction of parking bays in Samburu and Mackinnon road townships. Funding for the project will be from roads maintenance fuel levy fund (RMFLF).


INFRASTRUCTURE

KPA progresses to construct a second container terminal

Country’s change ofguard delayed

commissioning of berth

Human activities affecting railway

operations

land and will have three berths that measure 230, 320 and 350 meters. Dredging is being carried out to depths of -15 meters for the main quay length of 670 meters, -12m for quay length of 230 meters, -11 meters for quay length of 210 meters and -4.5 meters for quay length of 83 meters.

The first phase involves the construction of two berths for Post-Panama vessels of 60,000 DWT and Panama container ships of 20,000 DWT as well as a smaller berth. The 1.2 mill ion TEU Terminal will increase the current overall por t capaci ty by 15 mi l l ion tons .In 2012, the port of Mombasa handled a total of 21.92 million tons up from 19.95 million tons in 2011, a growth of 9.9 per cent. Container traffic rose to 903,463 TEUs from 770,804 TEUs handled in 2011, an increase of 17.2 per cent. In the same period, transit traffic realized a growth of 18.4 per cent, registering 6.63 million tons from 5.60 million tons in 2011.

The Kenya Ports Authority substantially progressed construction of the 1.2

million TEU capacity second Container Terminal as part of its continued efforts to expand capacity ahead of demand.

The project which was commissioned in 2012 is 34 per cent complete with phase one scheduled to be ready by 2015. Its main objective is to expand container handling capacity of the port of Mombasa in order to match future trends, stay competitive in cargo handling and facilitate economic development in the Eastern and Central Africa region.

The new container terminal west of the current Container Terminal is being constructed on 100 hectares of reclaimed

The Kenya Po r t s Au tho r i t y (KPA ) management is upbeat and anticipates an upward growth especially now that the country is through with National elections. It is projected that close to a million TEUs will be handled at the end of 2013 and a total throughput of about 22 million tons.The Au thor i t y p ro jec t s to hand le approximately 27 million tons total throughput and 1.3 TEUs by 2016.

The commissioning of the berth 19 was rescheduled following the change of

guard in the country in early March this year. The ceremony scheduled to take place in last month did not take place.

Speaking to Eng.Oremo of Kenya Ports Authority, he said that they were now awaiting a date from the president on when he would preside over the ceremony.

The berth is a major boost for activity in the busy Mombasa port. The port is used by neighbouring countries as a gateway increasing the activity there. Other than the berth, the port is also working on a second container terminal whose works according to a recent report by the authority are 34 per cent complete.

The three berths in LamuEng.Oremo also pointed that they were at the stage of short listing contractors who would undertake works on the three berths under the Lamu Port – South Sudan – Ethiopia Transport Corridor Project (Lapsset).

The country’s railway operator has raised concerns on the human activities near

the railway line which seemingly have affected the railway operations in some regions in the country.

The railway operations along some regions have been negatively affected by the human settlements and business activities along the railway line. The trains have to lower speeds when passing the areas to as low as 48km/h. Also, the lines incur a lot of flooding due to encroachment of the railway reserve where informal structures have been set-up blocking the line drainage system.

According to a story once published in the Standard newspaper, Kenya Railways has a plan which will see to the relocation of more than 9,000 people living along the railway line in Nairobi’s Kibra and Mukuru areas. The people living in these areas are living on reserve area for the railway line which is normally 60.6metres wide throughout the network except at the station yards and major depots.

The Kenya Railways Corporation intends to spend more than Ksh3 billion in undertaking this exercise. The World Bank will fund the Relocation Action Plan (RAP) which will see to affected persons receiving new decent housing via long-term lease programme.



TECHNOLOGY

The number of internet users in Kenya increased to 16.2 million in the period

between October 1 and December 31 last year, representing a growth of 11.6 %.

According to the CCK Sector Quarterly Statistical Report , the number of Internet subscribers in the country rose from 8.5million in the 1st quarter of this financial year to 9.4 million by the end of December 2012, posting an increase of 11.5%. The number of Internet subscribers increased by 75.1% compared to same period in the previous year.

“Mobile data/internet continued to dominate the Internet market contributing 99% of the total internet/data subscriptions in the coun t r y,” s ay s t he r epo r t .

Internet penetration went up by 4.3% to reach 41.1% up from 36.8% during the previous period. However, the number of broadband subscribers declined to 1,002,701 from 1,006,071 posted during the previous period mainly due to a reduction in the number of fixed terrestrial broadband subscribers.

The report attr ibutes the growth in the Internet/data market segment to international internet connectivity (used) bandwidth that has continued to spiral upwards. During the quarter under review the international internet used bandwidth rose to 328,641 Mbps from 278,329 Mbps posted during the previous period, representing an increase of 18.1 percent.

Meanwhi le , the to ta l number o f mobile subscribers i n K e n y a r o s e to 30.7 mil l ion, r e p r e s e n t i n g a marginal growth o f 1 . 0 p e r c e n t from the previous quarter. As observed during the previous period, the rate of growth has slowed down as the market appears saturated and tending towards m a t u r i t y. P r e -paid subscribers

continued to dominate the mobile s u b - s e c t o r c o n t r i b u t i n g 9 9 % o f the to t a l number o f subsc r ibe r s .

Mobile penetration on the other hand increased to 78% during the same period up from 77.2% recorded during the first quarter. All mobile operators recorded positive growth in service subscription beside Telkom (Orange) which lost a total of 609,321 customers, representing a decline of 19.7% during the quarter under review.

The number of letters sent locally declined by 2.0 percent to reach 17.3 million down from 17.7 million letters sent during the previous period. Compared to the same period of the previous year, a decline of 11.8 percent was recorded.

The number of international incoming letters grew by 20.9 percent during the period to reach 191,672 letters from 158,549 received during the previous period. Similarly international outgoing letters reached 1.9 million from 1.6 million during the previous period, representing 18.1 percent increase.

Growth in internet surpasses voice

>> Mr Francis WangusiDirector General, Communications Commission of Kenya

Samsung saw to the graduation of 200 engineers from its first Samsung

Electronics Engineering Academy class in April this year. The academy established in Westlands last year and kicked off in September is part of Samsungs “Built for Africa” strategy.

The graduates received training on digital electronics repair and service skills on modern electronics engineering practices, as part of the firms bid to deepen technical skills and facilitate job creation.

The US$ 1million academy is the second of such training facility in Africa. The programme is part of the company’s vision to secure its sustainability on the continent by building a pool of skilled, competent technicians.

The training programs at the academy are aimed at helping bridge the existing skills gap for qualified service technicians to repair new generation electronic equipment such as LED/LCD TV’s, Laptops, Refrigerators, Mobile Handsets and Tablets.

The Korean firm intends to develop over 10,000 electronic engineers in Africa by the year 2015.

Samsung academypioneers graduates

....its part of Samsung’s Built for Africa strategy..


TECHNOLOGY

Kenya’s leading telecommunication service provider, Safaricom embarked

on a mission to lay down its own fibre optic cables around the capital, Nairobi.

Safaricom had been hiring their services from Telecom Kenya and MTN as they were the first to install optic fibre in Kenya. Safaricom has however resolved to install their own following the firm’s failure to hit a Sh100 billion revenue target f rom data services last year.

The firm intends to lay its own fibre optic and save the cost of renting other providers’ infrastructure to deliver services. They are laying the cable from Mountain View to Kileleshwa and later head to the CBD,Nairobi.

On 21-22nd of May, a conference, 9th annual East Africa Com was held in Nairobi where the country’s telecommunication service providers were engaged as well as speakers from the entire digital ecosystem. The topics o f d i scuss ion inc luded ;digital transformation, broadband & LTE, connecting East Africa, customer experience management, digital services, mobile money, mobile marketing in East Africa and the inaugural APPGIG.

One of the key issues raised in the conference was that of telecoms firms and infrastructure where they debated on if the firms should share the infrastructure of build their own.

The issue left the operators on different pages with some like Wananchi Group defending those investing in own infrastructure while others like Soliton Telemec and Telkom Kenya against investing on own infrastructure.

In an interview with a local daily, permanent secretary Information and Communications pointed that he warned that firms investing in their own infrastructures risked running into more network maintenance challenges than they currently are experiencing.

“Some of the operators have not factored in the issue of maintenance of these networks they are putting and currently don’t have the internal human capacity to handle this, which in the long run may see them encountering even worse network challenges,” said Dr Ndemo.

Whi le some opera tors a re shar ing telecommunications masts and fibre networks, there is no national policy that guides such agreements, which are left mainly to market demands but which some infrastructure providers say should be guided by a pol icy.

Speaking during the announcement of the project las t year, Safar icom CEO Bob Collymore noted the price of data would also fall although the effect would not be felt immediately.

Telecommunication firm investing inown fibre structure

Samsung announces 5G Data breakthrough

Samsung Electronics made a crucial announcement that it had successfully

tested super-fast fifth-generation (5G) wireless technology that would eventually allow users to download an entire movie in one second.

The South Korean giant said the test had witnessed data transmission of more than one gigabyte per second over a distance of two kilometers.

The new technology, which will not be ready for the commercial market before 2020 at the earliest, will offer transmitting speeds “up to several hundred times faster” than existing 4G networks.

According to Samsung, that will permit users to “transmit massive data files including high quality digital movies practically without limitation”.

“As a result, subscribers will be able to enjoy a wide range of services such as 3D movies and games, real-time streaming of ultra high-definition (UHD) content, and remote medical services,” said Samsung.

The firm said it had found a way to harness millimetre-wave bands which have proved to be a sticking point for the mobile industry to date.

The test used 64 antenna elements, which the tech titan said overcame the issue of “unfavorable propagation characteristics” that have prevented data travelling across long distances using the bands.


TECHNOLOGY

ICT on improving Road SafetyNational Science,Technologyand Innovation Week

This year’s World Telecommunication and Information Society sought to link ICT technologies and how they can be used

to reduce road carnage under the theme, “ICTs and improving Road Safety”. “By integrating technology and intelligence into the physical transportation infrastructure, we can improve capacity, enhance the traveler experience and make our transportation systems more efficient”, said the PS Ministry of Information and Communication, Bitange Ndemo in a statement.

The government embarked on a partnership with IBM where a white paper on transportation was developed on transforming the country’s transport system into a smarter system. The report concluded “that our transportation systems are inadequate to serve the needs of the 21st century”.

The PS also noted the role played by road transportation in Kenya pointing that it accounts to 80 per cent of the country’s total transport making it very vital in economic development.Road transport plays a crucial part in driving the country’s economy in terms of movement of goods and services as well as people. Research shows that in Kenya reduced the current traffic congestion by 10 per cent, road transport revenue will contribute 3 per cent to the GDP annually.

“Low level of automation, duplication of roles by various government agencies who rarely share information has been a challenge in promoting road safety”, said a statement by CCK.

13 th May marked the beginning of the National Science, Technology and Innovation Week which happened at the

KICC and was organised by the National Council for Science and Technology (NCST).The event- second the country is hosting- had its main objective as taking stock of the achievements of the first Medium-Term Plan (2008-2012).It also sought to improve the understanding of the existing challenges and opportunities in the National Innovation Systems and Knowledge-Based Economic Management Systems.

The event brings together scientists, innovators, researchers, policy makers, students at all levels as well as the members of the public.

“Upcoming scientists, researchers, students and innovators will learn about/from NCST and other scientific institutions the assistance, process and procedure required to advance their skills…”, said NCST CEO, Prof.Abdurazak Shaukat in a statement.

Case studies on the subject matter from selected countries will be presented to benchmark the country’s achievements. Technical Institutions also get to stage what is commonly known as TVET fair during the 1 week event period. A Robotics contest is also held.“The goal of the robot contest is to foster and stimulate creativity in Kenya by arousing interest and understanding of robotics…”, said NCST in a statement.

The TVET fair is organised under the broad categories of Applied science and Agriculture, Business/Information Communication and Technology /Entrepreneurship, Electrical/Electronics engineering among others.

With Sh1.2 billion, ST&I via grant has since 2009 funded a total of 975 research projects. Some of the outstanding projects showcased last year include; mobile phone car tracking and security system, Bicycle mobile phone charger, mobile irrigation system, remote controlled lock, ect.

The event went on until 17th of May.

The government has put in place efforts to modernize the transport sector via The Transport Management System (TIMS).TIMS was envisioned in 2008 by a multi-stakeholder group led by the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Information and Communications.According to the ICT Board CEO, Paul Kukubo, the TIMS project will be implemented in 3 phases over the course of 4 years. The phases will include tendering for system hardware needed to automate the departments and set up data repository centre. A citizen portal will also be set up allowing anyone to validate their documents via SMS.

Traffic law enforcers will adopt the Intelligent Traffic Management System to aid in monitoring traffic on the roads using machine readable number plates and cameras on the highways. The cameras are integrated into a central database.


The PhoneRevolution

TECHNOLOGY

Did you know that: “Mr. Watson, come here, I want you,” were the first words spoken, transmitted

and received on phone? We have come a long way in terms of communication and technology. Alexander Graham Bell must be looking down on us from heaven (it must be heaven for such brilliance) smiling with an “I told you so face.” Bell invented the ‘talking telegraph’- telephone in March 10, 1876 and since then telephones have advanced. He wrote in 1878: “I believe in the future wires will unite the head offices of telephone companies in different cities, and a man in one part of the country may communicate by word of mouth with another in a distant place.” Indeed, it has come to pass.

In almost one century and four decades from then, we’ve transcended from the early phones to phone booths to mobile phones. The innovation is still ongoing. The first mobile phone, cell phone to be precise was invented in 1983 by Martin Cooper of Motorola. April 3, 2013 marked 40 years since the first call was made from a cellular phone.

Feature phones (phones considered to have less complicated software compared to Smartphones) have been in the mobile phone industry for quite some time but with the evolution in technology, they

are likely to be phased out. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) World Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker; in the worldwide Smartphone market, vendors shipped 216.2 million units in 1Q13 (first quarter in 2013), which marked the first time more than half (51.6%) the total phone shipments in a quarter were Smartphones.

With regards to an increase in number of phone manufacturers, the phones are becoming ‘smarter’ by the day. There’s high demand for Smartphones and feature phones might be dying out especially with the introduction of affordable Smartphones appealing to the low-end and average-budget consumer market. In February at the Mobile Web East Africa conference, Safaricom stated that they would soon stop selling the cheap feature phones in all their outlets as they try to skew the Kenyan market towards Smartphones. This is according to the Corporate Affairs Director, Nzioka Waita.

So, which Smartphones qualify in the top-five list? The following make the list: Samsung GALAXY S4, IPhone5, Sony Xperia Z, Nokia Lumia 928 and LG Optimus G Pro.

The Samsung GALAXY S4 was launched in Kenya on May 7, 2013 and made available to various mobile shops within the country.

It has the FULL HD Super AMOLED display, which shows images with great resolution and a 5-inch screen with 1080 x 1920 resolution and 441ppi (pixel per inch/ pixel density)for stunning viewing quality. It utilizes Corning’s new Gorilla® Glass 3*, making it durable- resistant to scratches.

Other features that make it stand out are concerning the camera: a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 2-Megapixels front camera Camera Resolution with Power LED Flash. It has enhanced Camera functions: the Dual Camera which allows simultaneous use of both cameras.; Sound& Shot, which uniqeuely stores sound and voice together as the picture is taken and Drama Shot which allows the user to see all the action in one continuous time-lapse ensuring you capture every moment just as it happened. Not forgetting its unlimited wireless connectivity which supports; the 3G, 4G, a 4.0 Bluetooth Version, Mobile Hotspot tething, NFC(Near Field Communication)-used in setting up connection between bluetooth devices and WIFI. The GALAXY S4 supports wireless charging connections and allows a maximum of 64 GB External storage capacity. Lastly, it has 8 CPU cores of which four support 1.6 GHz, while the other half holds up 1.2 GHz. This gives the GALAXY S4 a chance to save up on battery.

Apple Company has the latest IPhone, the IPhone5. This device’s stronghold lies on its: upgraded 4-inch full-display touch screen from its predecessor-the IPhone 4S; weight; upgraded video effects; nano-SIM card and its eco-friendly nature through the use of recyclable materials like aluminum on the body.

The 4-inch full-display touch screen has 1136-by-640 resolution and a pixel density of 326 which is higher than that of the IPhone4S which only had a 960-by-640 resolution. However, it’s the lowest compared to the other listed Smartphones.

It’s the lightest Smartphone amongst those listed earlier weighing 112grams. The Phone has improved video stabilization and allows one to take still photos even while recording videos. Apple states that the nano-SIM card is 44 percent smaller than a micro-SIM.


TECHNOLOGY

It’s good riddance to traffic chaos in Nairobi or it will be eventually thanks

to International Business Machines (IBM) newly opened Innovation Center in Kenya.

The hub has been set up to create Smart cities and Nairobi happens to be in the list.The hub, which is the third in Africa after Morocco and South Africa, will allow software developers to test their new applications, network with peers around the world and link innovations with businesses that need the technology.

IBM states that the goal of the Innovation Center is to nurture and grow regional IT innovation, help startups and business IT solutions get to the market faster. It is focused on solutions that use analytics, mobile and cloud technologies to solve key local and global challenges such as traffic congestion and better energy management. Traffic jams which cost the country an estimated Sh50 million everyday will be history.

The IBM hub will support and develop an ecosys tem o f IT P ro fe s s iona l s i n Kenya t a r ge t i ng Academia , I T C o m p a n i e s , E n t r e p r e n e u r s a n d Venture Capi ta l i s t s & Incuba tor s .

With regards to academia, IBM in January partnered with three Universities in Kenya: Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Riara University and Strathmore University. The agreement presented came with benefits such as: students having access to IBM experts and real-world case studies from a range of industries; the faculty having a no-charge access to an extensive library of IT curricula for computer science, business and other degree programs and be able to participate in ongoing t ra ining oppor tuni t ies .

The setting up of the regional innovation hub comes barely nine months after IBM opened its sole African research lab in Nairobi in August last year.

New dawn for Nairobi as firm opensinnovation center

Given it is thin, the SIM card worked as a way to minimize on the space used.

Sony Xperia Z has a 5-inch screen with a resolution of 1080 by 1920 pixels and a pixel density of 441 like the GALAXY S4 making its images very clear. It comes in three colors; black, white and purple. This device houses Exmor RS™ -the technology that includes HDR video making it possible to take clear shots and videos regardless of the lighting. On that note, the phone is water and dust resistant which enhances its durability making it suitable for any situation.

The phone supports GPRS/EDGE/ 3G, 4G LTE & WI-FI internet connectivity making internet connections fast and reduces the number of drop calls. It also supports NFC but lacks Infrared.

The Nokia Lumia 925 is the heaviest amongst the five, weighing 162 grams. It has a 4.5-inch AMOLED display touch screen covered by Gorilla Glass 2 which enhances its durability. It has Radio features that enables the user connect to internet radio. It’s available in the United States. It is an advanced series of the Nokia Lumia 925(set to be launched in Kenya) and the award-winning (most innovative handset) flagship, Nokia Lumia 920(available in Kenya).

Some of the distinguishing features amongst the three are: weight- 920’s 185grams and 925’s 139grams; 920’s IPS display while the other two have AMOLED displays; colors available in- (920’s White, Black, Grey, Yellow and Red; 928’s Black and White; 925’s Silver and Grey); and mass storage-the 920 and 928 packing a 32 GB while 925 comes with a 16 GB and 32 GB in-built memory option.

However, all maintain the low-light photography capability of Nokia Phones with the 928 having the Xenon flash magnifies that feature; have a 8.7-megapixel PureView rear camera and 1.2 Mega-pixel front-facing camera; are powered by a 1.5-GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor with 1GB RAM; feature a 4.5-inch screen with the same 1,280-by-768-pixel resolution and 334 ppi; have a 2,000mAh battery; support for wireless charging, Bluetooth 3.0, and NFC support.

The LG Optimus G Pro is one of the ‘Big Five Smartphones’ because: it has a mammoth of a screen- a whooping 5.5 inch screen with 401 ppi; a front-facing and rear camera with 2.1 and 13 Mega-pixels respectively; it allows creating, viewing and sharing media content, in HD video in full 1080p or even high-resolution pictures; its fast quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor running at 1.7GHz alongside 2GB of RAM for enabled multitasking; supports the 4.0 Bluetooth version like the GALAXY S4 amid other wireless connections; its high battery capacity of 3,140 mAh-giving it more battery life than the other Smartphones mentioned.

Globally, the most popular Smartphone amongst the five is the Samsung Galaxy S4-estimated to be selling at a rate of four units per second. Samsung Electronics announced that global channel sales of its GALAXY S4, has surpassed 10 million units sold in less than one month after its commercial debut on April 27,2013 in over 60 countries. It is evident that technology is still advancing. With the quest to be the greatest mastermind in the industry, the war has just begun.

{By Daisy Gakuu}


FEATURE

T elkom Kenya Limited savored

the glories that come with

existing as a monopoly-providing

telecoms operation until the new millennium

providing employment and sustenance

to many Kenyans. Then came the age of

exponential growth in information and

telecommunications industry; epitomized by

the World Wide Web. Naturally, one would

expect the gains elsewhere felt be noticed

closer home and Telkom Kenya hitherto

having the ICT monopoly in the country

would be the most buoyed by the growth

in this sector.

Ills of Privatisation: A Telkom Kenya Story

Telkom Kenya Limited savored the glories that come with existing

as a monopoly-providing telecoms operation until the new millennium providing employment and sustenance to many Kenyans. Then came the age of exponential growth in information and telecommunications industry; epitomized by the World Wide Web. Naturally, one would expect the gains elsewhere felt be noticed closer home and Telkom Kenya hitherto having the ICT monopoly in the country would be the most buoyed by the growth in this sector.

The new millennium, presented mostly opportunities for the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector and as a result competition and increased interest in that sector initially state-owned. The Independent Finance Corporation (IFC) saw through the public-private partnerships between the government and

France Telecom in 2007. {Public-private partnerships simply meant taking form the majority poor and giving to the few private entities that had the money with the view to improve the service delivery in the fi rms}. Telkom Kenya was then split 49 per cent owned by the state for the Kenyans while France Telecom a multinational corporation owned the remaining 51 per cent. The joint venture brought forth the Orange brand in 2008 and has been ever since.

Once this marriage between the French and the Kenyans had been consummated, cracks began to appear immediately. If the games in the shadow are to continue, Treasury will in the end of the day spend more than the 30 billion shillings it was paid by the French to acquire their 50 +1 percent of the company, but at the same time lose its entire stake in the business!The partnership was a triumph albeit arguable in only one front, getting the

margin in terms of ownership increasing in favor of France Telecom. The government had a horrible agreement in December 21 last year with France Telecom to bring in additional cash and write off shareholder loans. The government was to bring in 4.9 Billion shillings but only raised 2.5 Billion shillings; the failure to produce the balance saw the government forfeit 10 per cent of its shares.

This was aimed at easing the operator’s debt burden that currently consumes nearly half of its revenues. The Treasury converted a 4 billion shillings-shareholder loan into shares as France Telecom switched its 15 billion shillings debt for equity. This saw a raise in France Telecom wager in Telkom Kenya to 70 per cent and Treasury’s by extension Kenyan’s drop to a meager 30 per cent from 49 per cent in just 6 years; having reaped no dividend just accumulated more debts and a thirst for capital injection demanded by the Telkom management.

Why can’t

just balance its books?

• Former Informati on PS, Bitange Ndemo(Left ) with Telkom Kenya CEO, Mickael Ghosseinat a past public functi on.


FEATURE

Privatization is the process of transferring ownership from the public sector (in this case a government) to the private sector with the hope to sculpture a business that operates efficiently producing profits with improved services to the populace.

The opponents of privatization always forward several arguments against it; in the case of Telkom Kenya some six reasons come into the glare: 1. The public ends up paying more

to the establishment, in this case a multinational corporation and their banking allies, both as a taxpayer and directly when you pay for public services. This means either we the people, or the government, or both, end up paying more than they did bargain for. Telkom Kenya is currently demanding 6 billion cash injection from the Kenyan government. The taxpayer i s expected to cough this amount not forgetting, this re-organization agreement is the most

expensive in corporate Kenya having consumed 119 billion shillings in the past six years.

2. Pe o p l e l o s e j o b s ; retrenchment in Kenya is almost synonymous with Telkom. Starting May 2006 12,000 Kenyans had to be made jobless for the privatization to take off; wrangles and controversies still surround this process with some victims of the axing still seeking their dues to this year. One cannot however miss to notice that the pay to the executives is always rising.

3. The companies are a private entity run to the liking of their shareholders and serve in their interest, this case the French having now acquired a stake of up to 70 percent and should the taxpayer not bow to their demand for more cash will soon own it all.

4. It is very difficult and expens ive t o r eve r se

privatization as the treasury and the people of Kenya must now realize.

5. Privatization does not always end in profit, it may end up in massive loses with demands from the management to the state for cash injections {13.9 Billion Shillings for Telkom this time}.

6. There are people who benefit from public-private partnerships and this is not necessarily the public in this case one notice that Telkom Kenya is enjoying thriving business with related parties, most of them subsidiaries of France Telecom. Last year Telkom Kenya owed 28.6 billion shillings to Atlas Services Belgium a wholly owned subsidiary of France Telecom. Other subsidiaries of France Telecom that had significant transactions with Telkom Kenya include: Sofrecom Ltd, Orange East Africa and France Cable et Radio.

The reason for the company’s woes is a much-obscured one with the management blaming the price war for its quagmire whereas; the Treasury blames the structure of its executive, which is heavily tilted in

favor of France Telecom. Telkom made 9.2 billion shillings in revenues in 2011, and 18 billion shillings net loss-in what its management blamed on the price war- in the voice calls market that saw tariffs drop by half in 2010. It must be noted that Safaricom is also embroiled in this price wars but still proves profitable in the same sector. The giant is forced to rely on shareholder and bank loans that create huge repayment interests cutting deep into its profitability.

There was wide spread hope that once France Telecom had acquired majority stake in Telkom, it would use its hefty financial muscle to adequately fund and manage the Kenyan subsidiary just like Vodafone did with Safaricom when it arrived and KLM did with Kenya Airways in its turn. This would eventually culminate in the public sale of the shares of the state to citizens through the stock market.

One cannot help but wonder what will happen once the government finds it impossible to feed more cash to the executives as they demand, considering the many ambitious projects the jubilee government has to set in place. Will it continue loosing shares and does that end in losing all the public shares without them being paid for? All this down to the cunning of France Telecom coupled with poverty of the Treasury or cruel luck to the public. The state is set to lose valuable assets such as landholdings, a 3G license, fibre-optic cable network and a mobile phone network.

The government and by extension, the people, must activate our options regarding continued participation in this saga. The priority must be to protect the assets accumulated from Kenyans’ sweat and to stop the continued fleecing of the public coffers.

Many companies pr ivat ized in the contemporary years have done well. A few include: Safaricom, Kenya Commercial Bank and Kenya Airway;

{By Daisy Gakuu & Kevin Achola}


FEATURE

The Department of Education, Science and Technology’s summary report on budget for 2013/14 read

by cabinet secretary Prof. Jacob Kaimenyi to the Parliamentary Committee on Education had the one laptop per child agenda taking a prominent position in it. This is a bold initiative by the “digital” Jubilee government to provide free laptops to primary school pupils across the country as a flagship project. Schools with electricity in their classrooms and storage areas would be given fi rst priority considering the impossibility to overcome all the challenges that must be faced in order to provide all pupils with the gadgets at the same time.

The past three months have seen a very spirited and unprecedented effort by the government to implement its manifesto as promised during the last political campaigns. Considering that a proper education is the cornerstone to a successful individual and education is the powerhouse that drives our civilization, the introduction of e-learning in our primary schools is very welcome.

Available data show that there are 20,637 public primary schools in Kenya with total enrollment of 8.7 million students. It is projected that come 2014, there will be around 1.38 million pupils joining standard one. These numbers pose a huge challenge to the implementation of the laptop per pupil project considering the supporting infrastructure is not present either.

For the project to be feasible, energy to power the gadgets must be availed. While using power from the national grid is a consideration, it is noticed that only about 2,037 schools that is 10 per cent are connected to the main grid. 8,147 schools (about 40 per cent) are near the main grid while the remaining-about 10,184 i.e. a whopping 50 per cent-are far from the main grid and have to rely solely on solar energy or other alternative power sources.

The Ministry of Education is set to provide for solar panels for the 50% far away from the grid at the cost of Sh200,000 each. This has been estimated to cost a total of over Sh2 billion for the 10,184 schools.

After several consultations between the relevant ministries and other stake holders such as the National Treasury and Office of the President on how best to implement the programme considering e-readiness of the schools {only 200 schools currently have functional ICT network} and the available resources, it was recommended that a whole school focus be taken. This resulted in the selection of 6000 schools in

the fi rst implementation stage with the aim of achieving full coverage in the fi rst three years of Jubilee government that is in three phases.

Another proposal in the offing is to give laptops to standard one to three pupils then construct computer labs for use by the rest of the pupils standard 4 to 8. This move will reduce the cost of the entire project that currently is 53.2 billion shillings. But then, will it surely be one lap top per child?

A total of KSh17.4 Billion is allocated to the programme for the next fi nancial year 2013-2014. This will not be enough to fully finance the first phase of 6000 schools which had been estimated to be 22 billion.

In this budget, the ministry also plans to train a core team they have called “Master Trainers on ICT Integration” who will spread the project to all the schools. It is also pertinent to train teachers from this first phase of schools before leaving them in charge of the project within their schools, the ministry has proposed to train 3 from each school at a cost of 77 million shillings. Some 50 groups of talented youths will also be identifi ed to develop content to be provided for each laptop installation including open office products. This has been projected to cost one million per youth group.

One Laptop per ChildOLPC

• School Children displaying Laptops


FEATURE

Then there is the controversial question of the laptop storage and chargingTowards this, the ministry will require some Sh3 billion to install charging cabinets and refurbishment of laptops storage rooms. Each school will also get four new laptops, two projectors and a printer to be used by teachers. This has been estimated to cost Sh13.7 billion in the entire period of 3 phases.

Laptops have several benefits that for teachers include; provision of convenient access to technology and technological skills, provision of access to a huge wealth of knowledge in the form of the internet; the gadgets also promote speed and effi ciency of instruction, communication {visually enhanced instruction} and curricula development.

The benefits of a carefully considered pedagogical use of technologies in education for pupils especially laptops include: aid in computing, research, basic knowledge of technology, higher motivation, vast extended and simplifi ed access to information, greater creativity and academic fl exibility and fi nally better preparation for the pupils’ professional and social life

More research must be encouraged around the implementation of this project to fi nd the best and most effective way to go about this project.

A longitudinal assessment should be conducted to see the long-term impact of this pedagogical formula as it is possible to have it replace the black board and chalk method of instruction currently in use. The project should then be extended to cover secondary schools and all other education establishments.

As a general concept, the one laptop per child drive has been an excellent project; this however has not saved it from bashing both politically, technically and even economically. It has been said that it will be too costly considering each of the gadgets will cost 28000, the infrastructure to accompany it like the solar panels for the off grid schools costing billions. There is a debate around the software that will be used to drive the laptops with some opposed to the installation of the closed source Microsoft software in favor of the open source Linux based option.

All the stake holders in the educational sector must be encouraged to embrace technology and information. Awareness of appropriate and educationally benefi cial

uses of technologies both at school and outside school must be fostered. Instead of posing an obstacle to academic success information technology must become a friend of education.

In this budget, the ministry also plans to train a core team they have called “Master Trainers on ICT Integration”

• School Children learning how to use Laptops

To Advertise

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Readers Contribution

The rate of technological change makes our economical heads spin with magical amusement. We think

of our generation as the most innovative and more competitive than ever before. We have the super information highway, the internet, e-mail, smart phones and super computers, big data system, nanotechnologies, cloning technologies, gene therapy, stem-cell transplants, and above all, we have potential capacity to manufacture human body parts in our high-tech labs. The performance of human prosthetics is rapidly catching up with that of natural limbs.

The advances in genetic technology may give the parents opportunity to have ‘designer babies’ with modified intelligence and disease-free bodies. These advances will empower parents to make their children tall, well muscled with fat-free body parts and beautiful; and empowered by genetic technology not to transfer their stupidity to their children! Many people believe that the future of health care services lies in technology. Already miniaturization of technology has given us cameras to unlock the body’s innermost secrets. The next possible frontier may involve swallowing modular nanobots that will perform

Re - Thinking Engineering Economics of Innovation

diagnostics monitoring, drug delivery and even surgical operations at the molecular level.

Yet our real techno-intellectual problem is that in recent years no one has come up with an innovation like the toilet seat (WC). The toilet seat is a well thought out innovation - it promotes body structure convenience and biological functionality to make the ‘pooh process’ relieving and enjoyable. It is ergonomically designed for correct

human body positioning to facilitate efficient disposal of biological ‘shit’. The innovation in the toilet design embodies the genius of engineering simplicity with imbedded user friendliness. The small space of the toilet has become a place of personal solitude and a sanctuary for generation of thought and ideas. That explains why intelligent women pack their toilets with motivational magazines to psychologically jump-start their mental happiness. The business of innovation is about generat ion of economic and social values. Therefore, any technological innovation must generate economic wellbeing of the citizens and enhancement of social happiness.

With simplicity of design and optimized user interface, the humble ‘loo’ has hygienically impacted the lives of billions of people. Its positive impact on sanitation-related diseases is equal to none. The simple loo has given the world happiness beyond money measurements. Better sanitation promotes to better health for all.

Globally, governments, research firms and institutions spend around $1.4 trillion a year on research and development projects. Technically, the future of medicine, health care services and industrialization resides in technology. Technological development leads to economic development, when all other things remain equal. We admire new technological innovations. We praise the inventors and innovators, because they define our future.

Modern technological innovation has failed to come up with a simple gadget with imbedded engineering ingenuity and high social impact like the loo. We live in an open global society with too much information but have no intellectual brain power to process the information to make

“Convergence of convenience and happiness”



economic and social sense of it. The world needs new innovations with high economic value and social happiness. Life without happiness is death. Innovations generate prosperity.

Some academics have been questioning the value of scientific discoveries, inventions and innovations in the real economic and social terms. They are asking for measurable benefits from innovation investments. Although business economics claims that smart phones, e-mail systems, flat screens and other similar technologies have made positive contributions to prosperity, the business failed to assess their impacts towards reduction of global poverty. The real question is: How will society balance the mathematical equation of the Super-rich and the Super-Poor with future technological innovations? For now, warnings on slow innovation by intellectual pessimists seem to make an economic sense, because innovation has failed to address the principle of economic scarcity.

The imp l i ca t ions o f s low ra t e o f innovations are huge. Economies generate growth by introducing new innovations (radical innovations) into the economic development value-chain, and reworking old technologies and systems (incremental innovation) to spread economic values and social impacts to the society. However, sustainable increase in economic growth demands increase in productivity from the population, which will facilitate increase in incomes and social welfare. This entails the promotion of both radical and incremental innovation. The rate of innovation determines the rate of economic growth and prosperity, all other things being

equal. The roadmap to prosperity is through serial innovation.

In the past, human ingenuity has saved the world in bad times. It is debatable whether ingenuity is a product of circumstance or luck. Fundamentally, it is our humanistic task to design and manage our future. The global life expectancy is still improving, demanding for better economic growth. Historically, most technological innovations add value to human development. Innovations in electrical power industry lead to industrialization and economic development . Many technological innovations have added value in many sectors.

In the 21st century, the generational contribution to technological progress resides mostly in information technology. As electrification changed everything by transporting electricity to be used far from where it was generated, information communication technologies (ICT) transform lives and enterprises by allowing people to assess computerization and connectivity far beyond their technologically unaided capacity. ICT innovations will probably take another decade or two to reach economic maturity and generate broad-band social impacts in the society.

The road to prosperity is dotted with technological innovations. Ever since the wheel was invented in Mesopotamia in 3500 BC, technological innovations have continuously advanced our lives. New equipment, devices and processes of production have assisted us to enhance our productivity with less labour inputs; therefore, prices fall, real wages rise and

we are better off as a people. The real free lunch in the innovation economics is productivity. Engineering economics of innovation tell us that it is noble to invest in innovation because it provides the highest development returns to the nations. Testimony from emerging economies like Brazil, China and India confirms innovation as an empowering factor in industrialization and economic growth.

In the knowledge-based global economy, innovation is the game changer in the development value-chain. More brain power is needed in the innovation arena to dig deeper into science and technology behind innovations. To derive more benefits from innovation, there is need for public-private sector partnership. There is need for investing in innovation generation and development from research labs and their transformation into prototype products. Thereafter, there is need to invest in transformation of prototypes into commercially marketable products. To sustain and maintain production, we need to invest in enterprises development. Enterprises form industries and industries create jobs and economic development. If we stop investing in innovation, then technology will lose its power to drive economic growth and development. Innovation will transform Africa from a developing continent to an emerging continent. Without investment in innovation, new technologies will not have competitive invigorating effect on the African economies of the future.

But are some of the latest innovations really productivity-enhancing or just pure wasteful economics of prosperity? For example, innovations in ICT and interconnectivity systems have made teenagers addicted to texting. In the near future, it is predictable that social engineers (sociologists and psychologists) will be writing research papers on teenagers of today who will be having difficulties relating to each other because connectivity is a technological relationship, not a humanistic relationship. Adults dating sites promote efficient access to love partnerships, but fail to warn clients of ‘quick dumping mechanisms’ of purportedly loved ones offered by the same



It is unfortunate that most a time many of our countrymen do not understand and probably do not know who an engineer

is. This is not only within semiliterate persona, but also a majority of people. Worldwide, there are ’engineers’ who are not engineers. That is to say, people who hold the title of an engineer but are not. The writer has done some little research on the average mwananchi (citizen) to determine if he or she understands who an engineer is.

Unfortunately, the majority especially in rural areas understand that an engineer is someone in dirty overalls and with spanners for vehicle repair. Today the title-engineer-is far much twisted to describe all manner of jobs. That is: sanitary engineer, procurement engineer, TV engineer (the guy who fixes DSTV) etc. The word engineer was derived from a Latin word ingeniare which means to invent or devise. Engineers are creative designers who invent, develop and manage the manufacture and development of their creation. Engineers are usually known for their questions of how and why.

By definition, Engineers are highly skilled persons whose mandate is to invent, design and supervise the creation of their designs. Engineering is the application of science

to meet the needs of humanity which is accomplished through: knowledge, mathematics, and practical experience applied to the design of useful objects or processes. Essentially, engineers are the ones who are advancing humanity into digital life and an era of space flights.

For a long time, engineers have had little contribution in devising strategies that today drive most initiatives that take care of the world as a whole. Everybody can always see lawyers, economists, policy experts and environmentalists trying to get solutions into some problems; though engineering science and technology remains the centre of those solutions.

The question is: why have the engineers who are able to innovate and design such systems (that can easily bring solutions) been so quiet and sit back while impostors try to highjack their place?

What is being sort are the weaknesses and eventually, the cost of developing public policies and designing actions for reforms without the influence of those who are best suited to device solutions under engineering science and technology.

Law making in Kenya & role of engineers{By Michael Ogembo Kachieng’a}

websites. Technological connectivity does not amplify romantic frequencies between lovers in resonance with their heart-to-heart sensitivities. When we replace humanistic connections with technological ones, humanity disappears. Technological innovation without humanity is valueless. For example, dating sites promote the ease of finding loved ones, but silent on the ease of dumping the loved ones. The internet dating is nearly the opposite real dating with human signature.

What we urgently need is agile insights into engineering economics of innovation to assist us balance the equation prosperity versus poverty. Good innovation must have economic and social merits. The problem with innovation investments is that our new world is not standing still. Neither is our future. The real dilemma for all innovators is: Prediction is hard, especially about the future.

Professor Michael Ogembo Kachieng’a is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor in-Charge of Research, Innovation and Enterprise Development at the Technical University of Kenya. Professionally, Professor Kachieng’a is a Chartered & Registered Electrical Engineer, Biomedical Engineering Scientist and Business Financing Expert. He holds a MSc. (Cum Lauden) in Electrical Engineering and PhDs in Biomedical Engineering from both MTU and the University of Cape Town. He is a member of several international professional organizations in Engineering and Business Management, including New York Academy of Sciences. He lectures in Engineering and Finance at Post-graduate levels.

About the Author

Continued from page 51



The biggest problem of engineers (taken as second –hand and implementers rather than fi rst stage innovators and designers) is that, there might be a cost spent on something but then the system ends up not delivering the expectations. I am of the opinion that the engineers be well fi nanced to cater for research and development; such that even if one’s innovation does not work, this person should not be penalized as an engineer. A good example is the USA. The Bureau for reclamation was fully given to the US army and the annual budget for the military has always been the highest. Research has been on-going since pre-colonial era up to date.

Hydropower technologies have been developed with time through the research undertaken by the engineers in this bureau. Kenya needs to follow suit and give a stable base for engineers to undertake research.

The reason why engineers are not known by many in this beloved country-Kenya is partly due to lack of involvement of engineers in public policy processes. A good example is our commissions in Kenya. How many commissions constituted in this country; whether in the energy or oil industry consists of engineers or at least one engineer? In most cases, the answer is none. It should be well drafted and made known that engineers have a very direct link in public policy-making process to protect the health, safety and welfare of humanity. Intermix of health and medical engineering should be at the front, to design chemotherapy machines without any side effects. Safety is a major concern in our country and the world as a whole. Actually, engineers should be used in our armed forces to do more research than Al-shabab does.

The engineers must counter the rising insecur i ty th rough appl ica t ion o f technology. A good example is to device a communication gadget that surpasses the mobile phones. By doing so, it will be easy to ambush criminals while cooperating with mobile service providers. It seems criminals know when they are being searched for and all the police whereabouts. If we need our safety improved, then we must use and compensate our engineers appropriately.

There is a misunderstanding that our engineering societies cannot lobby or have a peaceful demonstration to put

appoint across. This misconception that engineers cannot hold political office or assist in political campaigns should change henceforth. For instance, how many engineers were elected in our last elections into offi ce? The number is negligible and that will tell you a country that needs help in terms of technology advancement. In contrast, China has a pool of engineers whose mandate is to advice the President in technology advancement and what to do in order to reach the heights of developed countries. As engineers, we should neither take a back seat in the political life nor look at the public policy as a foe. In 430 B.C, Pericles observed and said, ‘just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics will not take interest in you’.

One main important issue for engineers is to understand the public policy; fi nd out where to enter and assist our country to grow technologically. In many instances, such as the Kenya master plan for vision 2030: the master plan for energy in Kenya, master plan for solar and other renewable energy sources have been prepared by engineers; but when it comes to implementation, the engineers are kicked out and thus, the engineer gets discouraged after realizing that they cannot see their creation. Engineers hold few leadership positions and as such have a reduced voice in the house of decision makers on engineering issues including: energy, roads, water, health etc.

During the reign of Clinton as president of USA, Eng. Dr. Neal S. Lane, a special assistant to the president for science and technology policy, said, “Scientists and

Engineers constitutes one of the largest, most valuable, yet least heard constituencies in America… My message to you today is that if you don’t take it as one of your professional responsibilities to inform your fellow citizens about the importance of the science and technology enterprise, then that public support, critical to sustaining it, isn’t going to be there.”In Russia there is a small city called ‘Engineer’s City’ and is located in Dmitrov. In this city, the head of the district is an engineer; the mayor and his deputy who are responsible for the construction policy of the region are civil engineers. In fact, former Russian president Yeltzin was also an engineer.

In conclusion, let it be known that engineers can positively infl uence the policy process by clearly and publicly enunciating the role and potential of their research. In so doing, the common mwananchi, who may not be intimately familiar with basic research objectives, will feel comfortable knowing that his tax is well spent. One of the ways effective in accomplishing this is by: increasing fi nances to the engineering bodies such as- ERB and IEK and providing basic and advanced research facilities such as-the model test rig which can assist hydro engineers troubleshoot some problems thus making engineering real for all trained engineers.

Keep in mind, politicians struggle with an overwhelming number of decisions to make and they actually need sound and practical advice. As Engineers, we are responsible for that.

{By Clement Maiko - Kindaruma Hydropower Project.}

• Engineers studying a blue print


The Engineering Students Association (ESA), University of Nairobi elected a new executive committee following a peaceful and

well organized election that took place on 3rd May 2013 in the Civil Engineering building. This year’s election saw a high turnout of aspirants and voters. At the end of it all, the elected candidates were:

• Ogechi Joy Nancy - Chairperson• Ombese Norbert - Vice-Chairperson• Onyango Dickens Odhiambo - Secretary General• Gichia Hellen Nyagaki - Financial Secretary• Waweru Nancy - Academic Affairs Secretary• Mukabana Cynthia - Vice- Academic Affairs Secretary• Mogangi Reagan K. - Publicity Secretary• Mugambi Atanasio - Social Affairs Secretary• Nyongesa Fredrick Wanjala – Nominated Member• Omune Richard – Nominated Member

The new executive committee is in the process of coming up with its year plan of activities among them several academic talks from professionals, the annual dinner, the annual sports day among other activities.

E.S.A

The publication of the ESA magazine, ‘The Student Engineer’ is well on track with the appointment of an editorial team. The team is currently sourcing for sponsorship and advertisements from industries to enable it meet the production costs of the magazine.

The calendar of events for this year will also be communicated for effective planning, advice and assistance.

New E.S.A Offi cials - 2013/2014



IEK

Kenya held its fi rst elections under the New Constitution in March, introducing the County Government

structure. One of the anticipated benefi ts of the County Governments is to ensure equal distribution of growth and development throughout the Country. This must have been the inspiration behind this year’s conference theme; Innovative Engineering Solutions for Industrialization of Counties.

This year’s Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK) Annual conference was held at Kisumu’s Tom Mboya Labour College. This was the first time the event was being held in Kisumu. All previous IEK conferences have either been held in Nairobi or Mombasa.

The Master of Ceremony at the opening sess ion was Eng M. Sh i r ibwa. He welcomed the President of the Federation of Africa Engineers Organizations, Martin V., Engineers from South Africa and Namibia, Engineers from for Uganda in absentia, senior Engineers and members of the IEK, delegates and all participants to the conference.

OpeningThe Chairman of the conference committee, Eng. D. M. Wanjau-Maina, welcomed all the delegates and participants of the conference. He mentioned that Engineering

shou ld be knowledge -ba sed and technologically intensive; adding that 43% of the world’s population form the source of technology and that with globalization and its challenges Engineers need to fi nd ways of applying technology to develop counties.

On his part IEK Chairman, Eng. Julius Riungu, welcomed the chief guest. He expressed gratitude to delegates for enrolling for the Conference and mentioned that exhibitors were available.

The Kisumu County Secretary, Humphrey O. Nakitare, delivered the speech on behalf of the chief guest, HE Jack Ranguma, the Governor of Kisumu County, who was not able to attend the conference. He welcomed the IEK and conference members to Kisumu and was grateful for the fact that this was the first time the conference was being held Kisumu. He mentioned that the new constitution had created expectation of the County government, which can only meet these needs with help from Engineers. He indicated that Kisumu would like innovation to boost sugar and fishing, together with key areas like transport, flooding, power infrastructure and employment.

The Governors’ Speech: Kisumu County is counting on the expertise of Engineers to achieve her development goals and improve living standards of the County

residents. This was revealed by the County’s governor in a speech read on his behalf by the County secretary at the offi cial opening of the 20th Annual Engineers International Conference. According to the Governor, the Conference’s theme, ‘Innovative Engineering Solutions for Industrialization of Counties’, was a timely one with the onset of County government implementation under the new constitutional dispensation.

“The County residents will expect the County Government to improve the delivery of services and create employment opportunities. They will be the expectation of better infrastructure to improve the lives of ordinary people and offer attractive opportunities to investors. These goals are achievable with the assistance and engagement of the Engineering profession. The demand for better road, effi cient water supplies, affordable and habitable dwellings, improvement of Jua Kali products, utilisation of renewal energy technologies, higher food production technologies, preservation and storage of food, clean environment as some of the issues that Engineers will be expected to offer solutions.” Read part of the Governor’s speech.

The Governor thanked the IEK Council for choosing Kisumu County as the venue of the conference; highlighting the opportunities that the Engineers would have while

Innovative Engineering Solutions for Industrialization of Counties20th International Engineer’s Conference 2013, held in Kisumu

• Delegates follow a presentati on at The IEK Conference in Kisumu


IEK

interacting with the County leadership and other private developers. In the speech, the governor highlighted three potentials of the County and emphasised on the need for Engineers to provide solutions that would improve the fishing and sugar industries. He also highlighted challenges in Transportation, Energy provision, clean environment and Water that the County was looking forward for Engineers to tackle. The Governor further called on IEK to work closely with Institutions in the County to ensure quality education in engineering disciplines

The Governor noted that in order to initiate Industrialization, Kisumu County needed to have reliable and efficient supply of energy. The County was expecting Engineers to provide solutions for solar and wind based generation of electricity, to drive small scale industry and for domestic utilisation.

In the speech, the Governor pointed out problems common to other counties that needed Engineers’ attention: transportation, clean environment, sewerage treatment, clean water, and flooding. He asserted that he would expect Engineers to work in collaboration with other stake holders in providing flood management strategies.

Engineering Training Key in IndustrializationThe Engineering training subject came out as a matter of big concern to stake holders in the Engineering fraternity. Various speakers at the IEK International Engineers’ Conference emphasized the need for quality training in order to get ‘ready baked’ Engineers.

While presenting a paper on ‘Engineering Education Challenges and Opportunities at Kenyatta University’, Engineer Nzomo of Kenyatta University, said that the university had fully complied with the requirements of Engineering training and was now working on capacity building to train more Engineers. In response to a question from the audience, Engineer Nzomo said that engineering students who had graduated before the University complied had been offered a chance to come back and cover the units that had been left out before being allowed to register as professional Engineers. While responding to a question from the

audience-on the fate of students studying Engineering in non accredited universities- IEK chairman Eng. Riungu, wondered why some universities continued to offer Engineering courses that have not been accredited. “The law, under the Engineers’ act is very clear on requirements of a degree course. I don’t know what is going on in their (the Universities) minds. I even don’t know why JAB admits Engineering students in these Universities when they know their Engineering courses have not been accredited,” said Engineer Riungu.

Engineer Riungu further decried the move by ‘certain individuals’ who went to court to stop the planned Engineers’ Internship program. “We have a plan laid out for fresh graduates to undergo a further 3 years technical training as a way of releasing to the market ready baked Engineers. Unfortunately some of you went to court to block this move and we can do nothing but wait for the court ruling.” He said. Engineer Riungu further called out for engineering lecturers to be practising Engineers. “You cannot impact knowledge on students on things you do not practice yourself. Therefore it is important that those who train Engineers be themselves practising Engineers”

In his paper on Industrialization of counties and vision 2030, Prof. Francis Gichigi highlighted the need for Engineering Training Institutions being empowered to do more research and work closely with the industries. “The government and other interested parties need to invest more in research at our universities. It is through this research that prototypes are build which should further be adopted by industries and produced at large scale” he said.

While addressing the delegates on day two, Eng. Cyrus Njiru, the P.S of Industrialization highlighted the need for Engineers to be trained to think bigger. He added his voice to those with the opinion that the five years first degree program was not sufficient.

Meanwhile at the IEK AGM, Dr. Mumenya and Prof Mwangi both of the University of Nairobi confirmed that the university had a master’s program for industry people. “We have a joined program between the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering

departments, a Master’s of Science in energy utilization” said Prof. Mwangi. This was in response to concerns that there were no industry based masters programs for Engineers.

Engineers challenged to work on self presentationThere is need for Engineers to thoroughly work on their communication as a way of raising the profile of the Engineering profession. This is according to Eng. Cyrus Njiru the PS in the ministry of Industrialization. “In order for Engineers to take charge in their rightful position in the implementation of the vision 2030 blue print, we need to change the way we present ourselves,” he said.

Eng. Njiru while addressing delegates at the Engineers’ International Conference emphasised the need for quality engineering training. He said that the first degree was not enough for people who wanted growth in their career as Engineers. “Engineers must be trained to think bigger,” said the PS.

The PS called upon Engineers to reflect on ‘the challenges of our times’ which he highlighted as follows: we are a beautiful population majorly composed of the youth, we are essentially a trading and an agricultural country, we have a serious unemployment crisis and lastly, we have a low level of infrastructure development. Eng. Njiru emphasised on the need to shift from overreliance on trading and agriculture and instead venture into manufacturing.

The PS also questioned the roles played by other disciplines in the implementation of vision 2030 claiming that poor economic projections had led to various challenges currently being faced by dwellers in Kenyan cities. “If the economists would give accurate projections of how many cars they expected in Kisumu in 2013 then the Engineers would plan and build the city roads with this in mind. We therefore need to question the economic projections presented to us,” he said.

The PS called upon IEK to lobby for positions of County Engineers in the County governments. He said that Vision 2030 will not be achieved by law makers making bills in parliament but rather by the Engineers


IEKtaking charge, providing technical support and implementing projects.

Engineers Discourage Over reliance on ImportsOver reliance on imports is a major hindrance to industrialization in Kenya hence a major setback in the development of counties. This was expressed by various speakers at the conference.

These remarks were first pointed out by IEK chairman Eng. Riungu in his opening speech. Eng. Riungu said that Kenyan had the potential and ability to manufacture most of the products that are imported but this does not happen because of the country’s overreliance on imports.

W h i l e p r e s e n t i n g h i s p a p e r o n ‘Industrialization of Counties and Vision 2030’, Prof. Francis Gichaga also noted Kenya’s overdependence on imported products. He said there was a need for Kenyan Engineers to be empowered to effectively compete with their foreign counterparts.

Prof. Gichaga also called for empowering of learning institution to ensure they gave quality training in various Engineering disciplines. He further called upon IEK to demand that Engineers provide quality services and produce quality products. Prof. Gichaga also emphasised on the need for Kenya to shift from heavy reliance on Agriculture and venture into farming.

While presenting his paper on Nano technology and the role it will play in County Industrialization, Engineer Chebi called out to the government to increase funding in research and development. He further pointed that for Kenya to achieve the Vision 2030 we had to industrialize.

While responding to a question from a delegate on-if the Jua Kali sector players were considered manufacturers and hence a positive step towards industrialization Eng. Riungu acknowledged and pointed out the need for them to be empowered. “We need to reach out to them and give them some financial power and infrastructure. They won’t come to us; we are the ones to go out to them.” He said.

ClosingAfter three days of presentations, the conference came to an end with a vote of

thanks from Eng. R. Kosgei. He thanked: the chief guest for his attendance and hospitality, the previous chair of IEK for initialization and conception of the conference in Kisumu, members of the IEK committee for planning and the delegates and media for attendance.

T he Institution of Engineers of Kenya held its Annual General Meeting for the

year 2013 on the Thursday 9th May, 2013 at the Tom Mboya Labour College Hall in Kisumu.

Members received and adopted the chairman’s report as read by the chairman, Eng. J. Riungu. The chairman’s report highlighted: activity in the past year including IEK’s role in the enacting of the Engineer’s act, the founding of the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK), Publication of the ‘40 years of Engineering progress in Kenya’ book and the continued publication of the Kenya Engineer Journal.

The chairman also reported on the successful acquisition of a three bed-roomed house by the Institution at Nairobi’s Hurlingham area; and stated that the council would seek members’ approval to purchase a Ksh 20M offi ce place.

The chairman, in his report: acknowledged the appointment of Eng. Kamau as Cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and thanked the president for the appointment. He proposed that

Eng. Kamau be considered for the annual Dr. Awuor award. Eng. Riungu also revealed plans for IEK to pay visits to schools and talk to students about engineering as a way of luring them into the engineering career.

The resolutions from the AGM were: (1) Eng. Kamau be awarded the Dr. Awuor award, (2) IEK to pursue purchase of Ksh 20M offi ce space.

The AGM came to an end with the announcement of the election results of the council elections as follows:Eng. Julius M. Riungu ChairmanEng. Reuben K. Kosgei 1st. Vice ChairEng. Michael E.Okonji 2nd. Vice ChairEng. Mwamzali Shiribwa Hon SecretaryEng. Richard K. C. Hon TreasurerEng. Weche R. Okubo Council MemberEng. Henry Songole Amaje “Eng. Rosemary W. Kungu “Eng. Collins Gordon Juma “Eng. Christine Adongo Ogut “Eng. Grace Laura Onyango ”Eng. D. M. Wanjau Immediate Former Chairman

IEK AGM

We have a plan laid out for fresh graduates to undergo a further 3 years technical training as a way of releasing to the market ready baked Engineers.

{By Samuel Eyinda}

• Delegates at The IEK Conference pose for a group photo


IEK

C urtains closed on the IEK 20th International Engineers’ Conference

on Friday 10th May, 2013. As is tradition, Engineers gathered for a dinner dance at the Imperial Hotel in Kisumu County. This year’s Edition was sponsored by the Mumias Sugar Company, and who’s better suited to address such a climax than the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO)? The CEO, Peter Kebati and Eng. Nicholas Gumbo, MP for Rarieda who was the guest of honour

addressed the Engineers before officiating the dance. There’s always work before play, you know.

In his address, Eng .Gumbo reiterated the need for Engineers to defend their profession. You’ve got to admire the passion for his profession. He emphasized on the need for improved quality of life for Kenyans, with Engineers taking the lead in Industrialization. Summarizing what

poses as challenges in the industrialization process in Kenya as: low levels of power generation and low number of engineers he added that development was proportional to the number of engineers. He posed a challenge to the engineers to tap more into solar energy; giving an example of Kenya having over 10 hours of sunshine daily yet produces negligible amount of solar energy as compared to the Germans who get an average of 2 hours of sunshine daily.

Eng. Gumbo challenged IEK to consider having an exclusive Engineering and Technology University just l ike the accountants have the Kenya College of Accountancy and the Lawyers have the Kenya School of Law.

Eng. Gumbo called upon engineers to look out for the “the curse of an engineer” where Engineers often invent while others benefit as has been the case of M-PESA.

Finally, the moment all had been waiting for reached. Eng. Gumbo opened the dance floor dancing with his wife to the tunes of Ohangla from Jack Nyadundo. The music was apt for the occasion with the venue in mind; tunes from a county member could not have done more justice. It was a ‘follow the leader’ sort of thing that saw to it other Engineers get on the dance floor. You’d be surprise that some of them don’t have two left feet. They can actually burst a move or two.

It is heartening that the engineers too believe in the ‘work hard, play hard’ motto. Building up on the cliche’ that there’s time for everything, well, when it’s business it strictly is and for these professionals when it’s time for play the same effort is invested. It was night spent, as if their last and it’s no doubt they look forward to next year’s event.

So you think you can dance? - Engineers’ Edition


IEK

Below are a few abstracts of some of the papers and a full summary of all the other papers that were presented

at this year’s International Engineers Conference. The full papers are available upon obtaining written permission from the writers or the Institution of Engineers of Kenya.

INDUSTRIALIZATION

Industrialization of Counties and the Vision 2030 by Francis John GichagaThere is a need to transform Kenya’s economy from an Agricultural economy to a Manufacturing economy. Engineers can affect industry by producing relevant technology through research and public-private-cooperation. County development has four key players: Universities, the Industry, Government and the IEK. Their working in harmony will pave the way for Kenya to become a middle-income industrial economy.

Impact of Bio-Oil in rural energy requirements by Eng. G. MuchiriNational wealth is directly related to energy consumption. For Kenya to become a middle-income industrialized nation it needs to increase its energy production and consumption. Oil imports cost Kenya more than half of its total annual revenue. Africa has the highest potential of bio-energy

in the world. If Kenya reduced energy consumption through traditional methods and adopted bio-fuels there would be increased potential for energy self-reliance. This is possible through non-edible bio-oils such as Castor that can be grown anywhere in the country for energy production.

Out sou rc ing S t ra t egy i n Coun ty Government Industrialization: Case Study of KPLC Ltd by Eng. D. KinitiEngineering manages resources so that they are handled in a better way. A major key to this resource effi ciency is outsourcing. KPLC has used outsourcing to meet its targets set by the government in areas of powerline construction. KPLC proposes this strategy in providing information access throughout counties using fi bre connectivity.

Role of nuclear energy for Kenya’s Development Strategy by Eng. C. JumaAs of 2012, nuclear power accounted for 5.7% of the world’s energy and 13% of electricity. Uptake of nuclear power is growing following the guidelines of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which uses an infrastructure milestone system to develop and ensure proper safety measures. In 2030, Kenya hopes to produce 4000 MW of nuclear energy. The main challenges of nuclear energy are safety and waste disposal. Kenya is partnering with S. Korea and the United States for personnel training and safety regimes.

GOVERNANCE AND EDUCATION

IEK Dispute Resolution, Rules and Procedures for appointment of Arbitrators and Adjudicators by Eng. O. RogoMany projects collapse when there is a dispute between engineers and management. There is an urgent need to update training, practice, ethics and dispute resolution. This forms a vital responsibility of the IEK. IEK is key to appoint adjudicators and mediators since these individuals must have intimate knowledge of the field. Furthermore, stakeholders should specify contracts to IEK as the appointer. Disciplinary rules and procedures should conform to the Engineers’ Board Act and all rules of Kenya. There is also a need to cater for the devolved government structure, for instance counties can share dispute resolution mechanisms.

Challenges of Manpower Development in Kenya with respect to the Implementation of the Engineers’ Act 2011 by Eng. J. RiunguRegulation assures quality and enhances safety. The Engineers’ Act introduces: stringent regulation, mandatory continual development, promotes ethical practices, issues licenses to qualifi ed personnel and establishes a school of engineering to ensure competency of graduates. All this could pose challenges to Industry as well as to Universities, especially as to whether they have suffi cient Professional Engineers. The solution is for academically qualifi ed Engineers to register and for Universities to fast-track university-industry linkage.

Governance and Ethics for the Built and Natural Environment by Eng. R. KosgeiThere are ethical challenges in preventing corruption. Corruption can be carried out at the following stages: project conception, tender stage, project execution and the payment stage. Our role as professionals is to prevent corruption and this can be done by addressing ethics. This can be done by: encouraging early ethical training, playing advisory roles, introducing penalties and random project audits. APSEA and EACC can introduce processes of determining levels of corruption amongst professionals.

Abstracts of papers at the Conference

• An Engineer presenti ng a Paper at The IEK Conference


IEK

PRODUCTION AND IRRIGATION

Managing Risk of Climate Change in Agricultural Production by Eng. M. ShiribwaAgricultural production depends on the environment and this is affected by factors such as: climate, food demand and population growth. Climate can have drastic effects and there is a need for adaptation measures to be put in place, both intrinsic and extrinsic. Barriers to adaptation change include: land constraints, poor climate change information delivery, cost of farm inputs and irrigation facilities, credit, income and labor constraints. Techniques to mitigate this include: Conservation Agriculture (CA), integrating modern agricultural techniques to improve production, developing buffer areas and strengthen research to generate climate resilient technology.

AdaptingtheSystemofRiceIntensification(SRI) in Western Kenya Irrigation Schemes by Eng. C KipkorirSystem of Rice Intensification (SRI) entails a combination of techniques and methods used in rice irrigation schemes to increase yield. Some of these include: use of organic manure, use of younger seedlings (10-12 days), reduction in nursery area, alternate wetting and drying, square planting and wider spacing. Field tests have been conducted in Ahero and Western Kano and the results show a clear yield increase and water saving. They also show a reduction in the emission of green house gases. Some challenges in adapting the method include resistance to change and difficulties in transporting younger seedlings.

Diesel Powered Defense Technology Mobile Field Kitchen DMFK by Lt. Col. M. MuhuOne of the efforts of the Ministry of State and Defense (MOSD) is the Environmental Soldier Program (ESP). Given that the extensive use of f i rewood negates afforestation efforts, the KDF solution has been the DMFK, which operates on diesel and is, therefore, smoke free and helps in mitigating deforestation. The DMFK is environmentally friendly and has been used in the Embakasi Barracks and in Somalia (AMISOM). It has also been commended by the AU. It has influenced other innovative work in the MOSD. The future plans

are to satisfy the military needs and also commercialize and provide the DMFK to public and private institutions.

Address by Federat ion of Afr ican Engineering Organization president – FAEO by Martin Van W.Africa has numerous resources and these are facilitated by engineers. The engineers may be called to work all over Africa. A challenge is that the engineering bodies of various countries are not harmonized among themselves and, therefore, the criteria for registration may not be standard. FAEO is seeking to have a universal engineer registration process.

Innovative Engineering for Sustainable Development by Prof. H. KaaneThere is a need to redefine engineering in order to capture innovation. Universities ought to take this into account in the training of their students. The production cycle ought to be shortened and infrastructure needs to be enhanced. These a re engineering roles. Sustained development must be competitive, accompanied by high productivity and sustained consumption. Aspects like reverse engineering can play a role in development and innovation since innovation necessitates a full understanding of the technology.

TRANSPORTATION AND IFRASTUCTURE

Industry and Vision 2030 by Permanent Sec. C NjiruThe presenter expressed his to the senior engineering fraternity for their time and patience in nurturing younger engineers. He stated that engineering is a continuing discipline that requires high quality training. With respect to Vision 2030, the presenter stated that engineers must always reflect on the challenges of our times (the overall big picture) to reach the desired future goals. This in line with Vision 2030 desiring Kenya to be a middle income industrialized economy. This can only be done by creating communication channels with colleagues and continued training.

Cable Car Systems for Urban Technology by E MwaraniaCable car technology is an aerial transport method apt for short distances. It has

been tested and proven in more adverse environmental and climatic conditions than urban regions. The presenter proposes to adopt this transport system for use in Likoni crossing, to ease congestion on the conventional crossing means. It would also provide other new benefits to the region with job creation and energy savings paramount among them.

Infrastructure Way leaves, Reserves and Corridors by S. Munubi and H. Ndung’uKETRACO is a state cooperation that has been mandated by the government to expand the transmission grid from 3300km by adding an additional 8316km. This is in line with plans to increase energy production in the country from 1025MW to 15065MW in 2030.

To this end, there is a need to determine way leaves, corridors and pathways to accommodate this infrastructure. Issues such as land acquisition, contention and encroachment once these corridors are found arise. These issues need to be addressed and were brought forward by the presenter.

RESEARCH

Pipe Jacking by Representatives from SBI HoldingsPipe jacking is a technique of deploying massive piping systems that is an alternate to using pipe and box culverts. It involves pushing pipe through the desired region rather than excavating the area and backfilling it afterwards.

It is applicable in all known situations, time and cost effective and environmentally friendly on the landscape.

Haar Wavelets Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) using Optical Chi-Squared Rician Filters for Visual Interpretation by K. KagoiyaMRI uses the principle of magnetism to generate signals representing the desired data to be interpreted as medical conditions. Noise in these signals tends to be signal dependent and it follows a Rician distribution.

The presenter s ta ted his proposed


IEK

filtering system is an improvement over conventional techniques. His design involves transformation of the signal dependent noise to an additive equivalent. A bilateral filter and wavelet theory are then used to denoise the image.

Concre te fo r Use in Sus ta inab le Development by O. Koteng, presented by S. MumenyaTraditional concrete practices have numerous shortcomings. The paper proposes new techniques of concrete development and their advantages over current methods.

Design for Strength and Durability by S. MumenyaIn concrete structures, strength of structures is a parameter that is easy to achieve. Durability on the other hand (where quality assurance and material lifetime come into play) is more difficult. Lack of durability arises primarily from corrosion.

The presenter reported that South Africa uses a durability index test that considers permeability, sorpitivity and conductivity as indicators of durability. The presenter underscored that engineers in the country need to adopt a similar measure to assure quality of concrete structures and she is currently working with others in this area.

Development, Improvement and Expansion of the Construction Industry - NCA Mandate by D.O. MandukuConstruction of infrastructure is a key pillar in Vision 2030, yet it has been hampered with a weak framework, lack of ethics and poor overall coordination.

The NCA has come in. It has an act that reigns in the construction industry and its contractors through regulation and codes of conduct that must be followed. Though there has been some initial resistance, the NCA is working with other organizational bodies to help generate acceptable rules of practice. The IEK is a strategic partner since it oversees a large chunk of construction in Kenya.

ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATIVE DESIGN

Adaptive Technology for Non-Revenue Water Management Case Study for Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC): Business Case for Piloting Automatic Meter Reader Solutions for Bulk Consumers by M. Kiemo

The NCWSC incurs two main types of losses - commercial and maintenance. Furthermore, commercial losses are due to either technical challenges such as clogging or faulty equipment or operational challenges from the human element.

Regardless of these problems, the NCWSC is duty and legally bound to provide services to its paying customers.

They potentially solve commercial losses; the presenter proposes the adoption of automatic meter reading (AMR). This yields efficient implementation, reduced operational cost and better access to statistical data for predictive analysis.

Forecasts on Research in Design Theory and Methodology and its Impact on Product Design and Engineering Education by I. Odira Design is the actual creation of products. Its tenets are innovation, socio-technical aspects and ICT. There needs to be a focus on improving design practice. This is because industrial sustainability hinges on the fact that new products must be developed regularly. And so design practitioners must be willing anticipate dramatic changes in engineering design in order to stay relevant.

Innovative Design of a 100 Storey RC Skyscraper using Modern Techniques: Al Shahed Tower by Eng. A KhanThe Al Shahed tower designed in 2008 had a design criterion that was a challenge to meet if structural viability and commercial feasibility were to be attained. The paper presented shows the pre-design and model testing using modern computer modeling techniques. The preliminary results generated were in line with predicted notions and most of the design criteria were in line with international standards.

This shows that modern techniques are indispensible in coming up with innovative solutions.

BUILDING MATERIALS

Use of Molten Plastics in Developing Alternative Building Materials by B. W. SabuniPlastics are sources of solid, non bio-degradable waste. The work presented was done to determine if creating a plastic quarry dust mix was suitable for recycled use as building block material.Investigating the Use of Construction Chemicals in Improving Construction Project Management in Kenya by C. LegetoThe presenter stated that excess time and cost is being experienced in the field of construction. Project management involves optimizing resources to achieve the best possible end result. Construction chemicals were analyzed to see if they should indeed boost time and cost savings and proposed as such.

Collapsing Building Structures in Kenya by Eng. S. CharaguFrequent bui lding col lapse causes unnecessary loss of life. The causes range from: poor supervision, poor materials and lack of maintenance, design flaws, no records of approval of works at each stage among others.

The presenter proposed some procedural suggestions which were made; such as design confirmation and testing of materials. This would help improve safety and add quality control in building construction.

Urban infrastructure and mining by Eng. M. KitalyWith the rapid population and economic expansion of East Africa countries, there is a need to develop infrastructures to stimulate rural growth. The presenter explained how Canada has developed some innovative fabricated solutions to develop its remote areas with significant population densities. These solutions are also applicable in East Africa.


FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATIONEng. J M Riungu ChairmanEng. M.Shiribwa MemberEng. R Chepkwony MemberEng. R K Kosgei MemberEng. M E Okonji Member

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEEEng. M E Okonji ChairmanEng. M Shiribwa MemberEng. S N Charagu MemberEng. Rosemary Kung’u MemberEng. W Okubo MemberEng. John Nyaguti Member

DISCIPLINE AND ARBITRATION COMMITTEEEng. Francis Ngokonyo MemberEng. Shem O Noah MemberEng. E Mwongera MemberEng. W Okubo Member

TRAINING COMMITTEEEng. J Riungu ChairmanEng. S Ouna SecretaryEng. C Ogut MemberEng. G. Njorohio MemberEng. P Okaka Member

JOURNAL COMMITTEE A A McCorkindale ChairmanF W Ngokonyo Vice-ChairmanN O Booker MemberJ N Kariuki MemberProf M Kashorda MemberS M Ngare MemberAllan Muhalia MemberA W Otsieno MemberS K Kibe MemberM Majiwa Member

WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENTEng. R Kosgei ChairmanEng. D M Wanjau MemberEng. J Riungu MemberEng. A Kosgei Member

INDUSTRIALIZATION AND DEVELOPMENTEng. H.S Amaje ChairmanEng. M.E .Okonji Vice Chair

POSITION NAMEChairman Eng. J M Riungu1st Vice Chairman Eng. R K Kosgei2nd Vice Chairman Eng. M E Okonji Hon. Secretary Eng. M ShiribwaHon. Treasurer Eng. R K ChepkwonyMember Eng. Grace L. Onyango Member Eng. W R Okubo OGWMember Eng. R Kung’uMember Eng. C OgutMember Eng. H S AmajeMember Eng. J MutililiMember Eng. C JumaRetiring Past Chairman Eng. D M WanjauChairman Mombasa Branch Eng. Z AnganyaVice Chairman Mombasa Branch Eng. M OwuorBranch Sec/ Treasurer Mombasa Branch Eng. J O OdumbeChairman Western Branch Eng. P M WambuaVice Chairman Western Branch Eng. S K MahanuBranch Sec/Treasurer Western Kenya Eng. I Chebii

MEMBERS OF IEK COMMITTEES IEK COUNCIL

IEK


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Kenya engineer journal, July/August 2013

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