kenya engineer november/december 2012

KENYA ENGINEER - NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2012 1

2 KENYA ENGINEER - NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2012

CONTENTS

News.........................................6-43Interview.................................44-46Pictorial........................................45Naval Ship...............................50-52Parliament...............................52-53Biogas.................................... 54-55ESA.............................................. 60IEK...........................................61-6249

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52 MAIN STORY


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.

NOVEMBER /DECEMBER 2012

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 Assistants:Peninah Njakwe

Editors:Articulate Edits

Design & Layout:Alex Ireri Kithumbu

Sales & Marketing:Roseline OkayoJoyce NdamaiyuPhylis MuthoniAnastacia KodiOliver Elman

EDITORS NOTE

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

HighlightsRoads, ports and airports: Cabinet approves the Greenfield terminal, an extension of the JKIA; clearing the port likely to ease as a new system is to be adopted; good news to the urban dwellers as the country gets a Sh.25.5 billion for the Nairobi urban transport project.

Energy: The region power pool makes a step forward as the AfDB approves a loan for the Kenya-Ethiopia electricity line after World Banks approval; KenGen looking at investing in alternative power sources.

Oil: Gas is discovered at Mbawa-1 offshore block as oil estimates raise chances for Kenya entering the oil exporters list; plans for an offshore jetty underway; new player joins oil search race in the country as others are told to surrender some blocks.

Technology: Parliament gets a refurbish this time fitting with new technology-could it be we are looking at employing tech-literate leaders?; the evolution of Smartphones is undefined, get to know smart these phones can get in the technology column.

Mining: The EAC is considering joint laws for the mining and mineral sector; firms race for gold mines in Kenya; a tax cut, a big boost to titanium miner while coal mining at Mui is stalled.

Water: Universities hold joint conference on sustainable management of water resources; LVBC launch a Sh960bn water and solid waste management project.

Enjoy your read!

Next issue will be out by 1st January 2013

Editor’s Note

A A McCorkindale – Chairman Editorial Committee


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JOIN OURDAILY FORUMDISCUSSIONS& Exchange Views with other EngineersVisit www.kenyaengineer.co.ke and contribute to the day’s topic and stand a chance to win

merchandise


TIRED OF TARMACKING?Post your CV in www.kenyaengineer.co.ke and get a chance

to be spotted by thousands of employers who are accessing our online CV database.

Searching for a job has never been this hassle-free!



NEWS

R ift Valley Railways (RVR), the concessionaire of the Kenya-Uganda railway resumed its maritime services on Lake

Victoria. This is after it took over the MV Kaawa, which was re-commissioned by Uganda’s Minister of Works and transport Abraham Byandala at Port Bell in KampalaThe vessel had been withdrawn from service in 2005 after being severely damaged in a collision with her sister vessel the MV Kabalega resulting in the sinking of the Kabalega. Following the mishap, the Uganda Government ordered the grounding of all wagon Ferries operating in Uganda pending their full rehabilitation and compliance with maritime regulations.Speaking during the handover ceremony held onboard of the recently rehabilitated vessel; RVR Group Chief Executive Mr Brown Ondego said that the handover was a historic day for RVR and its concession partners. “MV Kaawa will play a strategic role in our operations as it will allow us to carry more volumes and give us the possibility of servicing new and existing clients using

the southern corridor through Tanzania”, said Mr.Brown. Byandala thanked the World Bank for financing the East Africa trade and facilitation project under which the contract falls. He valued the completed works at about $3.5 million (Sh300 million).The MV Kaawa has the capacity to carry up to 1,232 tonnes or 22 fully loaded wagons at one go, this is in contrast to most vessels currently on the Lake whose capacity is only about 400 tonnes.RVR will also be launching another vessel, the MV Uhuru, within the next two months. MV Uhuru, a local registered vessel, will complement and support MV Kaawa on the proposed triangular service between Port Bell in Uganda, Mwanza in Tanzania and Kisumu in Kenya.“The two vessels will give RVR the capacity to transport a minimum of 200,000 tonnes a year. This is in line with our strategy to offer intermodal transport solutions and help us achieve our business objectives of being able to transport at least 4.5 million tonnes of freight by rail per annum within the next five years,” said Ondego.

Train Operator Resumes Ferry Services

New Tractors to Enhance Efficiency at Port Mombasa

Container works at the Mombasa Port are set to improve following the arrival of 27 new states-

of- the -art terminal tractors from Cargotech AB of USA. The new machines came at a time when shipping lines had started routing post panamax vessels to the Port of Mombasa after the completion of the first phase of the dredging project. The machines will enhance fluidity at the container terminal hence reduce the time ships stay at the Port. Containerization is now the most popular way of packaging cargo and therefore Ports all over the globe are positioning themselves to cope with the projected increase in container vessels. Kenya Ports Authority has been working on equipment modernization plan that is aimed at replacing the old equipment with modern ones to match with the current maritime trends.Earlier this year the authority bought eight new Reach Stackers from the same company and two empty container handlers from Hyster of the Netherlands to help in loading of trucks and also help in stacking containers at the yards. Therefore the new fleet of terminal tractors can comfortably be served by the number of reach stackers the port has at its container yards. The Authority is in the process of acquiring more terminal operations equipment this financial year as follows; two Ship to Shore gantry cranes, ten Rubber Tyred Gantry cranes (RTGs) nine Reach Stackers, 35 skeletal trailers and additional ten Terminal Tractors


NEWS

In connection to the resolution by several tea factories to produce their own power,VS Hudro,a Sri Lankan

company won a tender to construct a Sh1.3 billion hydropower plant for four tea factories in Nyeri.The power plant named Gura will produce a total of 5MW to feed Gathuthi,Gitigi,Iriaini and Chinga tea factories.The hydropower plant set to be commissioned by January 2014 will save the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) who pays about Sh2 billion for the energy used in the 65 factories under it. Each of the affiliated factories will use 0.5MW leaving them with three mega watts to sell to Kenya Power. The firm is not new in East Africa as it has been working on several projects in Uganda and also in Tanzania. In Uganda, it has constructed and commissioned the 18MW Mpanga hydropower plant and the Nyagak located in West Nile.The scope of work wi l l enta i l construction of an intake, dredging of a 7.7KM canal, building of a power house and laying out transmission lines to the four factories.K T DA i s a l s o p r e - q u a l i f y i n g engineer ing, procurement and c o n s t r u c t i o n c o n t r a c t o r s f o r other small hydropower plants. They include; North Mathioya in Murang’a (5MW),Chania in Kiambu (0.6MW),Iraru in Meru (1.3MW) and Lower Nyamindi in Kirinyaga (1.5MW).

Firm to Build Hydro Power Plant for Tea Factories

Offshore Drilling Begins at Mbawa 1

Huston based oil firm, Apache began drilling works four months af ter securing a deep-water drilling ship for

their giant Mbawa 1 Prospect off Lamu archipelago.The block is located 1,70KM off the shoreline at Coast. Drilling, by deepwater drilling ship Deepsea Metro 1 is expected to go for two months so as to reach the planned depth of 3,200 metres.According to one of the firm officials, the block was picked because it is identical with the ones on the northern shores of Madagascar where the company found more than 30 billion barrels of oil. Madagascar is said to fit well with Kenya where it originated from prior to the major plate breakup that happened about 150 million years ago.Seismic indicators show what looks like gas-over-oil-over-water at its primary target. Pancontinental, who own 15 per cent of the block, estimate that Mbawa

has a maximum potential to contain 4.9 Billion Barrels of oil and a gas cap of 284 Billion Cubic Feet in place at the main Tertiary- Cretaceous level with significant additional potential also to be tested by the well at the deeper Upper Jurassic level and shallower Tertiary levels. However, only drilling can verify the oil and gas volumetric potential (if any) at the well.This is not the first time multinationals have sunk deep sea wells. In 2008, Woodside Energy, who were awarded a $7.5 million contract by Apache North Sea Limited to provide subsea engineering services, ended its drilling activities in Lamu after drilling 4,887M with no avail. In 2007, China National Offshore Oil Corporation surrendered four blocks so as to carry out seismic survey to map out potential deposits.Onshore drilling is however continuing in other parts of the country with Tullow in the lead.


NEWS

The government secured a Sh1.32billion loan from the Belg ian Government and Belgium’s KBC Bank to finance

the installation of Wind turbines at the KenGen’s Ngong Hills power plant. The country’s main power producer say the second phase of the Ngong Hill project will commence in October and be completed in 12 months. The project which will comprise of eight units of 850 kilowatts each will add 6.8 mega watts of power to the grid.This comes at a time when the country is seeking to invest more in green energy.Currently, wind energy contributes only 0.3 gigawatt hours to the national grid.A feasibility analysis according to KenGen showed that the Ngong site is capable

of generating up to 14.9GWh of energy annually on average. The company seeks to harness up to 25.5MW of wind power in the Ngong area.The Ngong Hills farm is currently the biggest wind farm in Kenya until the completion of the Lake Turkana Wind project. Each of the already installed wind turbines rotates a shaft which is connected to the generator at the top of the structure. The turbines start operating when the wind speed reaches 4m/s and stops rotating at 25m/s referred to as the cut out speed. The alternating current (AC) produced is sent down via large cables of correct rating to minimize losses. The turbine blades are 26m long with a total diameter of 52m.

Firm Receives Loan for Ngong Hills Wind Power Project

The second phase o f t he Ethiopia-Kenya Power Systems Interconnection Project is set

to commence following the approval of a Sh30 billion loan by the African Development Bank. The first phase of the regional 1.3 billion-dollar power integration program commenced mid this year after the World Bank approved loans worth $684m.The project which aims at opening up the eastern African power network will see Ethiopia export surplus power to Kenya. It is considered a flagship project as an anchor link in establishing the backbone of East African Power Pool (EAPP) which seeks to pool together energy resources to create a regional electricity market through power trading.It involves the construction of a 1,068km high-voltage direct current 500kv transmission line between the two countries. It also includes putting up of associated converter stations at Wolayta-Sodo (Ethiopia) and Suswa (Kenya), with a power transfer capacity of up to 2,000mw.AfDB said Ethiopia would receive Sh19.4 billion ($232) million of the funding, while Kenya would take Sh9.7 billion ($116 million).The power project is co-funded by the World Bank, the French Development Agency and the Ethiopian and Kenyan governments and is due to for completion in 2018.Power sharing between the two is expected to reduce energy costs and pave the way for more dynamic regional cooperation between the countries of East Africa.

AfDB Approves Loan for the Eastern

Electricity Highway Project


NEWS

Kenya’s main electricity producer, KenGen, invited parties to submit bids for the development of 560 MW geothermal power

plants.The company says it plan to develop the power plants in phases of 140 MW each at Olkaria within the east African nation’s Rift Valley under a joint venture arrangement in which successful bidders would build, and later transfer, the facilities back to the firm after 10 to 20 years.Kenya is the first African country to drill geothermal power, tapping vast reserves of steam energy in the country’s Rift Valley region, which remains geologically active.

Power Producer Calls for Bids to Develop Geothermal Power Plants

The country has the potential to produce 7,000 MW and is targeting production of at least 5,000 MW of geothermal power by 2030.Although expensive to drill initially, development of cheaper geothermal power means the country will come to rely less on thermal power, prone to the vagaries of high international prices, and rain-fed hydroelectric dams.The cost of energy is a key factor in the east African nation’s inflation levels.Kenya’s peak electricity demand has risen to about 1,200 MW, compared with 780 MW in 2002, driven by economic growth. KenGen produces 1,141 MW and the rest is generated by independent

power producers which mostly rely on renewable energy such as wind power.KenGen said in February it planned to raise $12 billion to build six geothermal power plants that should generate 585 MW by 2016, as it pushes to diversify its power sources.The company had posted an 11 percent rise in its full year pretax profit to 4.045 billion shillings helped by increased output from new plants.East Africa’s biggest economy has embarked on capital-intensive alternative power generation projects, in a bid to reduce dependency on unreliable rain-fed hydroelectric dams and thermal power prone to erratic rainfall.

NEWS


Energy Minister Kiraitu Murungi announced on 10th August, 2012 that the Government planned to construct an oil pipeline from

Isiolo to Arusha following discovery of oil in Ngamia 1 in Turkana. The oil well is expected to process 100,000 barrels per day. The Minister said that construction of the oil pipeline from Turkana to Lamu will start in the second half of this year and would be funded by a loan from the Japanese Company. Indeed, Toyota Tsusho Corporation is said to have submitted US $5 billion although other

Kenya Plans Pipeline to Arusha after Oil Discovery

reports indicate that the Government expected the pipeline to cost between US $3 – 5billion.Toyota Tsusho Corporation recently was awarded the contract to construct Ol-kalia 4 Geo-thermal Power Station and is one of several Japanese firms interested in doing business in Kenya.Kenya plans to construct a pipeline to supply oil to neigbouring Tanzania once it starts commercial exploitation of reserves recently discovered in Turkana County.Energy Minister Kiraitu Murungi said the pipeline would link Nairobi to Arusha,

with supplies being pumped from a refinery to be built in Isiolo.A new pipeline will also be built to link the refinery in Isiolo to Nakuru for onward distribution of products to Eldoret and other parts of western Kenya and northern Uganda. Another pipeline would be constructed to connect the refinery to Nairobi.“We shall talk to the government of Tanzania to see how we can supply them through a pipeline to Arusha,” Mr. Murungi told a media briefing in Nairobi after a meeting with South Sudan officials.

NEWS


The officials were in Nairobi to review progress on a planned oil pipeline to link the port of Lamu and oil fields in South Sudan – the newly independent country.Tanzania has recently struck huge reserves of natural gas but is yet to find oil. Kenya, however, has found large reserves of oil in Turkana’s Ngamia 1 well although tests are ongoing to establish its commercial viability.The minister said the government would focus on satisfying demand in Kenya and region through products refined at the facility planned for Isiolo.

“We hope to make Isiolo a hub for refined products both from Kenya and South Sudan. Our prime concern will be to satisfy the domestic needs and those of the region. Any excesses will be pumped and exported through the port of Lamu,” he said.Energy Permanent Secretary Patrick Nyoike said feastibility on the planned refinery in Isiolo would commence soon.“We are looking at a refinery with a capacity of processing a minimum 100,000 barrels a day because any capacity below that would not be economically viable,” he said.Mr. Kiraitu said construction of the 2,000 kilometre South Sudan Port of Lamu pipeline is expected to begin in June next year and completed in two years at a cost of $3 billion. A turn-off branch is also scheduled for construction to link Ethiopia. “We expect the pipeline to be up and running by June 2015,” the minister said.South Sudan’s minister for petroleum and mining, Stephen Dhieu Dau said his government was committed to the construction of the joint pipeline with Kenya.“This project will help change the face of the region and the lives of the people of Kenya and South Sudan, he told the media briefing.He said South Sudan planned to increase its production capacity from 350,000

barrels per day to about one million. “We are working to offer incentives and an enabling environment for investors so that this project would succeed,” Mr. Dau said. The minister said South Sudan has an oil reserve of about seven billion barrels within its territory, boosting the viability of the joint pipeline project with Kenya.“We have several concessions that have not been explored and we hope to see bigger output when they are explored,” he said.South Sudan Finance minister Kosite Manibe said the huge reserves of proven deposits of oil reserves and inter-governmental agreements with Kenya would serve as a guarantee for financing the pipeline. “The oil resources are real and more are being found … we believe the money will come,” Mr. Manibe said.Mr. Murungi said Kenya and South Sudan are negotiating an inter-governmental agreement that would provide a legal framework for the joint pipeline project.Landlocked South Sudan is looking for an alternative route through Kenya to export its oil following feuds with Sudan, from which it split in July 2011, over transit fees and revenue sharing. South Sudan has shut down its oil production because of the disputes over pipeline fees with Sudan; South Sudan hopes to resume oil production in September.

Energy Minister Kiraitu Murungi displays a bottle containing

crude oil that was discovered in Turkana.


NEWS

S tatoil joined Kenya’s oil search that has so far attracted more than 24 players. US firm Morgan Stanley said Kenya is in advanced talks

that will see Statoil take up the unlicensed block L26 in the deep offshore. The energy firm with operations in six African countries including Egypt, Algeria, Tanzania, Ghana, Angola and Libya, recently struck a rich vein in East Africa after securing large deposits of gas in Tanzania. Statoil has a presence in more than 30 countries with total revenue of Shs.10 trillion ($119 billion).Tullow oil and Africa Oil’s outstanding success at the Ngamia exploration well has dramatically heightened investor interest in Kenya.“The last unlicensed offshore block, L26 is to be licensed to Statoil (UW) soon,” said investment bank Morgan Stanley in its latest oil and gas research on Kenya.Licensing of the deep water offshore blocks at the Kenya coast has also been enhanced by discoveries along the coastlines of Tanzania and Mozambique.Other new entrants include Total and ENI with interests in blocks L21-25. “We would expect additional new blocks to

be put up for licensing in early 2013,” said the US bank.Kenya plans to gazette and auction off new blocks for oil and gas exploration. The Ministry of Energy said UK explorer Tullow oil and Anadarko Petroleum would surrender acreage in a total of seven blocks in the coming weeks as required in their production sharing contracts with the government.“With Tullow and Anadarko set to surrender 25 per cent of their acreage shortly, there is expected to be more new blocks set up for exploration,” said the Morgan Stanley.Tullow Oil could give up a quarter of its territory in block 10BB, where it made its March oil discovery, as well as a quarter of block 13T. Both are onshore.Anadarko will surrender 25 per cent of each of its five offshore blocks.As part of production sharing contracts, explorers must surrender a quarter of their unused blocks after two years if the block is onshore or three years if it is offshore.With a rapidly accelerating drilling programme after Ngamia success, partners Tullow and Africa Oil expect to start drilling at Twiga-1.

Norwegian Firm Statoil Joins the Search for ULCin Kenya

Inte rna t iona l o i l exp lo re r s continue to stream in to be part of the lucrative oil industry in the

country with the latest player being BowLeven.The firm from the UK entered into a farm-in agreement to acquire a 50 percent equity interest in onshore exploration block 11B, Northwest Kenya, from Adamantine Energy Ltd.“ B o w l e v e n a n n o u n c e s t h e acquisition of an equity interest in an onshore block in Kenya operated by Adamantine Energy.”, said the firm in a statement.Block 11B covers an area of approximately 14,000 square kilometers covering the Loeli, Lotikipi, Gatome and South Gatome basins. The basins are to the north of the Lokichar Basin where a significant oil discovery has been made in recent months with the Ngamia-1 well.Analysis of the existing gravity and magnetics and seismic datasets suggest the basins in block 11B are of similar form to Lokichar and analogous geological plays and petroleum system elements are expected.In return for acquiring this interest, Bowleven wil l fund the work programme for the initial two year exploration period at an estimated cost of $10 million. The initial work programme is to include an airborne geophysical survey and the acquisition of 2D seismic. Bowleven will also provide technical support as operator, under a TSA during the initial exploration period. Completion of the farm-in is subject to normal approval from the Kenyan authorities.

New Player Joins Oil Search Race in Kenya


NEWS

Ja p a n - b a s e d To y o t a T s u s h o Corporation placed a $5 billion bid to construct an oil pipeline linking

the proposed Lamu port in Kenya with Juba in South Sudan.This huge infrastructure project, which involves participation of the governments of Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and Ethiopia, is considered one of the flagship projects under Kenya’s Vision 2030 development blue print.‘We have already placed our bid for this massive project that will also involve construction of an oil refinery, power stations, jetties and other infrastructure facilities,” said Dennis Awori, Chairman-Toyota Kenya Ltd.He was speaking during the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Toyota Tsusho Corporation and the Kenya Vision 2030 delivery board.Toyota Tsusho Corporation becomes the latest addition to a list of global multinationals that have already signed MoUs with the Vision 2030 secretariat, including US-based General Electric, which is to supply spare parts to manufacturing industries. IBM will also be setting up a tech

Motor Firm Bids to Build the Juba-Lamu Pipeline

laboratory in Kenya, to serve the East African region after it signed a memorandum of understanding with the country.Tsusho Toyota and Vision 2030 teams will collaborate in the automobile, power and energy, petroleum, mineral resources, infrastructure and mechanized agricultural fields. Both units will form project teams within each of these business fields.Toyota Tsusho Corporation, the investment arm of Toyota Motor Corporation, has over 65 per cent of its business in the automotive industry while the rest is in power and parts business. They also deal with export of food products, medical equipment and pharmaceuticals.The firm has been working on major projects in the country and the building the pipeline will be an addition to their activity in the country .Among the works they have going on is the building of the Ol Karia one and four geothermal power plants.China was the biggest buyer of South Sudanese oil before the shutdown, and Chinese state firms are the biggest oil operators in the world’s youngest country.

South Sudan finally agreed to transport its oil via a pipeline from Lamu port. The country

had earlier said that they would transport their oil by road instead. The pipeline, 2,000 kilometers is estimated to cost approximately USD 3 billion dollars.The pipeline will allow South Sudan to export its oil via the Kenyan port of Lamu, freeing the landlocked country from reliance on a route through Sudan. The route had earlier this year been shutdown following the two countries disagreement over how much the Juba government should pay to transport its oil output through Sudan. This has however been resolved.Construction of the pipeline is expected to begin by June 2013 and last two years. It will be able to transport between 700,000 barrels and 1 million barrels of Southern Sudanese crude per day. Though the country says they don’t have the money now, South Sudan has a total of 7 billion in proven reserves.

Juba-Lamu Pipeline to cost $3bn

14 KENYA ENGINEER - NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 201214 KENYA ENGINEER - SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 201214 KENYA ENGINEER - NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2012

Energy Minister Kiraitu Murungi appointed a team to fast-track the development of coal resources in Mui Basin, Kitui County. In a

Gazette notice, Mr. Murungi appointed a 13-member committee to spearhead the coal development project in Blocks C and D for a term of three years.“For the purposes of realizing Kenya’s Vision 2030 and to fast-track development of coal resources in order to enhance the production of affordable, reliable, commercial and industrial energy, (the minister) establishes a committee to be known as Mui Basin Coal Project Blocks C and D Liasion Committee,” the notice by Mr. Murungi reads in part.Its members are Mr. Eric Kyalo Mutua, Mr. Titus Kivaa Mbiti, Mr. Paul Mumo Kisau, Mr. Gideon Wathe Nzau, Ms. Florence Mutawali Kitonga, Ms. Patricia Kisio Kimanzi, Mr. Joseph Muthi Nzuni, Ms.

Minister Appoints Team to Fast-Track Coal Exploration in Mui Basin

Margaret Munyoki, Mr. Solomon Kimanzi Kivoto, Ms. Eunice Kelly Wambua, Mr. David Kilonzi Maweu, Mr. John Kimakia Mutia and Nzomo Mulatia.The team’s work will involve advocacy, education and analysis of matters pertaining to coal business and main-streaming the energy resource projects into community initiatives.Mining rights for coal in blocks C and D in Mui Basin have already been awarded to Chinese firm, Fenzi Industry Mining Group.A tender to award rights to mine coal in blocks A and B in the same basin attracted 18 companies with experience in coal exploration, coal-fired power generation, geological and prospecting know-how.Before the tender award, each company is expected to show their ability to raise approximately Shs. 16.8billion ($ 200 million) for the project as well as capital base and annual revenues of about Shs.

The country’s power distributor, Kenya Power intends to spend Sh5 billion in increasing the

number of pre-paid meters installed. It plans to increase the number by 520,000 to 694,820 over the next nine months to cut the risk of consumer default.The firm has installed 174,820 meters since the year 2009 marking 8.2 per cent of the total 2.1 consumers. The deepening of the billing system is expected to boost Kenya Power’s cash flow as well as lower the cost of needed meter readers.The roll out of more prepaid meters is part of the company’s medium term plan to cover all consumers under the new system by the next year. It will see the pre-paid meters deployed outside major urban zones of Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Nakuru.This the company says will eliminate the risk of non-payment of electricity charges as the consumers will pay upfront for their power unlike the current system where they pay after one month consumption. The unpaid bills are said to have risen to Sh7.4 billion from Sh5.2 billion in the previous year meaning that the additional debt was equivalent to 54 per cent of its Sh4.2 billion net profit. It will also help consumers manage their bills as well as reduce the commercial losses and congestion in the banking halls.The Sh5 billion the company sayid will be raised from reserves and fresh borrowings.

Kenya Power to add More Pre-paid Meters


NEWS

Pancontinental Oil & Gas NL announced discovery of natural gas at their offshore Coast

prospect, the Mbawa-1 well. This came a few days after the company requested for a trading halt until an intended announcement.“We are delighted to prove that there is a working hydrocarbon system offshore Kenya. Further work continues to evaluate the size of the discovery”, said Director of Pancontinental, Barry Rushworth in a statement.He said that the discovery is very promising and it is the first ever substantive hydrocarbon discovery offshore Kenya though they have not finished operations at the well.The L8 wel l has encountered approximately 52 net metres of natural gas pay in porous Cretaceous sandstones. The well was drilled to a depth of 2,553m below the drill floor at which point wireline logs, fluid samples and sidewall cores were acquired from the well. Drilling is however to continue to a deeper exploration target as these interim results could be the first part of the story in the well.Mbawa is owned by a consortium of companies, Apache Corporation (50%) Origin Energy Limited (20%), Pancontinental Oil & Gas NL (15%) and Tullow Kenya B.V. (15%)

Natural Gas Discovered at Mbawa-1

The search for oil in the country is set to reach higher peaks later this year when drilling begins on eleven exploration blocks.

Some of the blocks for example Twiga 1 in Rift Valley, Pipai in North Eastern, Mbawa off the Kenyan coast and Ngamia in Rift Valley have been earmarked for drilling. The search will be done by Africa Oil, Tullow Oil, Afren, Apache, Total, Pancontinental and Anadarko.More than 20 companies are involved in the¬ oil search in the country eight of whom are drilling onshore. They include; Afren, Africa Oil and Tullow who have significant acreage.Prior to the Ngamia 1 discovery, 33 exploration wells had been drilled in Kenya without success. Tullow and Africa Oil are expected to start drilling the Twiga-1 prospect (Block 13T) in the last quarter of the year even as it tests the Ngamia well for commercial viability Twiga North is expected to start

drilling in the first quarter next year and embark on a joint drilling assignment with Afren in the Paipai-1 block in the third quarter of the year.Offshore drilling is expected to start in the current quarter of the year at Mbawa-1 block together with the deep sea Metro rig in August. Partners in the well include Apache, Origin, Pancontinental and Tullow.Kenya has allocated 45 of its 46 blocks to international explorers and is in the final stages of allocating the remaining blocks. The State is negotiating with Tullow and Andarko to give-up part of their territory for re-allocation to other companies. Tullow is to give up a quarter of its territory in block 10BB as well as block 13T.Andarko has been asked to surrender 25 per cent of each of its five offshore blocks. The two firms are now weighing on which quarter of their blocks they will surrender.

Oil Search to Intensify as Firms Surrender Some Blocks


NEWS

Independent Power producers (IPPs) in the country have a reason to smile following the World

Banks approval of a Partial Risk Guarantee (PRG) of Sh3.74 billion. The move is designed to encourage private investors to take advantage of the growing opportunities in the energy sector.The government is expected to provide letters of support to the IPPs while the WB will guarantee letters of credit issued by banks to the IPPs.In addition, termination and political risks faced by investors will be covered by the WB Multilateral Insurance Guarantee Agency.Among those benefiting from the PRG is the Sh12 billion Thika Power plant which is due for completion by the end of this year. Others are Triumph Generating Company (82MW), Gulf Power (80.3MW) and Or Power (52MW) who will be expanding its geothermal project at Ol Karia.Upon completion, the four IPPs will add 285MW of electricity to the national grid. This is about a third of the current installed capacity. The PRGs will enable Kenya Power to mobilize long-term commercial financing to purchase electricity from private investors and boost power supply.

S tate-owned petroleum dealer, National Oil Company (NOCK) is seeking Sh42 billion to start building an offshore jetty by next

financial year. NOCK says that the facility, expected to be complete by the year 2015, is a way of easing traffic congestion caused by fuel imports.The facility will make it possible to off load fuel imports for Kenya and neighboring countries,Uganda,Zambia,Tanzania,Burundi,DRC,Rwanda,Malawi and South Sudan. Off loading is currently done at the Kipevu jetty,Kilindini hobour.The jetty will have the capacity to accommodate three times larger vessels than can be accommodated by the Kilindini jetty which handles 80,00 metric vessels.This could ease fuel prices by saving on freight costs per unit.The jetty is also intended to regularize supply of petroleum products as it is expected to also factor in a storage terminal of up to 300,000 cubic metrics.Feasibility studies for the project are ongoing and will show the commercial viability of the whole project. After the study, the tenders will be

floated in the next three or four months. According to NOCK, oil demand in the eastern Africa region could triple by the year 2015 and thus more reserve capacity is needed.While Kenya’s demand for oil is expected to rise to 7.7 million metric tonnes, that of the nine regional countries that rely on import through the Mombasa port is forecasted to rise to 37 million metric tonnes from 10 million metric tonnes in 2010.Experts have pointed the need for Kenya to have large loading and storage facilities to ensure that it can provide the export markets in the region with oil at lower costs per unit. Oil re-exports are among Kenya’s largest export commodities.NOCK is evaluating the variety of financing options including government equity participation and public-private partnerships (PPPs).According to an investment banker, a cheaper financing option outside of private equity or PPP model would have to be a bond given the scope of the project. A syndicated bank loan could be very expensive.

Offshore Oil Jetty Estimated to Cost Sh42 Billion

World Bank signs Riskguarantee for the energy IPPs in Kenya


NEWS

There have been ongo ing amendments on the construction bill with the latest amendment proposal citing increase of the

cost of professional services in building. The proposed law seeks to add to the list of consultants needed for projects.The amendments reflect mainly on the Architects and Quantity Surveyors Act which proposes to recognize construction project managers, environment designers, landscapers and interior designers as mandatory service providers. The current law only recognizes architects, engineers and quantity surveyors as primary service providers with contractors having a leeway to sub-contract the secondary tier professionals.If enacted, property developers will have to pay more professional fees to engage the services of multiple experts in the building sector. Quantity surveyors estimate that professional fees to cater for services such as conveyance, land change of user, environmental impact assessment design and consultancy works account for up to

Proposed Law to Increase Cost of ProfessionalServices in Building

15 per cent of the total project cost.The bill also empowers the Board of Registration of Architects and Quantity Surveyor to monitor building projects and enforce standards in the industry, widening i ts mandate to include regulation. Experts say the proposals would minimize infiltration of the industry by quacks that have been blamed for the collapse of buildings.The bill also provides guidelines on the fees to be charged by the professionals. The architects’ fee will be reduced from six per cent to five following their reduced role. The architects have been viewed as the master builders but will now be given specialized tasks to other parties.The bill, currently awaiting parliament approval for submission to parliament, was last revised in 1948.Among the amendments made include the formation of a National Construction Authority whose officials were appointed mid this year and given powers to register and award certificates of proficiency to contractors, skilled construction workers and site supervisors.

Competition in the cement industry is set to increase following the coming in of

Savannah Cement in the country. The firm, to be officially commissioned by the president before the end of the year is said to be in operation already.The Sh8.5 billion plant based in Athi River EPZ is set in an export processing zone. It has an annual production capacity of 1.5 million tonnes with expansion allowance to double this. The total cost for phase two which includes setting up a clinker plant will amount to Sh16 billion.Reports indicate that the new firms have been increasing market share at the expense of large incumbents who have adopted less aggressive expansion strategies. It is expected that in the next five years, the market share which is currently dominated by multinationals will shift to new no-listed players. The firm plans to increase its market share by setting up a one million per year clinker plant from 2013.It is currently importing its clinker.The cement maker joins others in the country like Athi River Mining, EAPCC and Bamburi who have dominanated the Kenyan markets for a long time now. The infrastructural developments happening in the country have been a major boost for the cement makers in the country even as most of them export their cement to other neighboring countries.

New Player in Cement Industry Poses Increased Completion


K enya is increasingly attracting investors with the latest key at t ract ion being the gold deposits in some parts of the

country. The Government is preparing to grant a special license to East Africa Pure Gold (EAPG), an exploration firm, to prospect for gold and base metals in Rachuonyo district, raising the number of interested investors in the area.The area of about 100 square kilometers is now re-opened to prospecting and mining. This is just a part of other prospects in Kakamega and Vihiga. Surveys by both the Kenya Government and private companies have revealed large gold deposits around Migori and Kakamega, part of a vast gold belt - the Archean Greenstone Belt - dating back to 3.7 million years. This raises the possibility of large scale mining that could help Kenya diversify its revenue streams, reducing the country’s reliance on horticultural and tea exports, tourism and remittances from abroad.The Commissioner of mines and geology, Moses Masibo announced that anyone seeking to oppose the granting of a special license to the company had 30 days to file a complaint with the commissioner of mines.A number of exploration companies are narrowing down to the western Kenya

Firms Race for Gold Mines in Kenyaregion with more than 10 firms already in the area with Linear Metals, Red Rock Resources, Aviva Mining of Australia and Goldplat - a British firm, at various stages of pursuing mining rights and exploration. The London-listed gold producer is already smelting and producing gold from its wholly owned Kilimapesa Gold Mine (Kilimapesa) in Trans Mara, in South Western with sales positively impacting its bottom line. Also eyeing gold discovery in the region is Stockport Exploration, a Canadian company which together with partners own tracks of land along the gold-hosting greenstone belt in western Kenya.Stockport and its joint venture partners B&M Mining and East Africa Pure Gold (“B&M and EAPG”), privately owned sister companies, control exploration licenses in the Migori area covering over 1,288 kilometer square.E s t ima te s f r om the Min i s t r y o f Environment and Natural Resources show that Migori’s gold capacity alone currently stands at 34 tonnes, which could earn the country close to $670 million (Sh3.35b) a year. Earnings from the mineral - currently exploited by artisanal miners or small-scale miners - however stood at $230 million (about Sh2b) in 2010, mainly since the small prospectors lack equipment for commercial mining.

Residents of Mui basin celebrated success in stopping Fenxi Mining Industry Group mining

company from going on with its works in the area after a High Court judge extended the injunction stopping the mining of coal in the area. The residents say the awarding of the deal giving mining concession to Fenxi was an infringement of the constitutional rights of Mui basin residents.Fenxi, who are working on block C and D was awarded the tender in 2011 but there has been delay in begin of works due to approval procedures which included parliament approval. Fenxi is required to pay $3-million for block C and $500 000 for block D, in return for a renewable concession of 21 years, subject to approval by parliament.In August, a court in Machakos granted an interim order stopping the Chinese firm from “exploring,evaluating,extracting,developing,processing,storing and disposing coal and coal methane” until the matter is concluded. The inter-party hearing is slated for October 16th this year.

Court Stalls Coal Mining at Mui Basin

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T he Kenya Chamber of Mines hosted the Mining Business and Investment Conference

2012 end of september.The two day event was held at the Laico Regency is considered a ground for information exchange as well as network building that is necessary for wise decision-making especially now the that the EAC is considering joint mineral and mining laws for member states.The event brought together executives and professionals targets international, regional and local mining and exploration companies. Some of the themes for discussion included investment planning and growth paths for the East African mining sector. It was supported by Kenyan Ministry of Environmental and Mineral Resources, the East African Community, Kenyan Investment Authority, Kenya Chamber of Mines and Prescon UK. The KCM, who were the main organizers of the event-was formed in 2000 to represent the interests of Kenya’s miners, exploration companies and mineral traders to ensure that the interest of stakeholders do not cause harm to the environment and the communities.The East Africa region has of late been a key attraction point of foreign investors and explores following discovery of minerals in different parts of the region. The mineral-rich region has great potential but several measures need to be employed to ensure maximum benefit of the ‘nature’s blessings’.

Nairobi Hosts a Mining and Investment Conference

F inance Minister Njeru Githae cut the corporate tax of Australia’s Base Resources by hal f to encourage the company to

deepen its planned mining of titanium near Mombasa.The move will see the Australian firm pay corporate tax of 15 per cent as opposed to the set 30 per cent for a period of 10 years.“The Minister for Finance directs that the corporate income tax on gains or profits derived by Base Titanium Limited from mining operations will be reduced by 50 per cent from the date of commercial productions for a period of 10 years,” said Mr. Githae through a special Kenya Gazette notice number 65.Base Resources Limited said it expects to start mining titanium in Kenya between June and September, 2012 with the first shipments in 2014. But it has started operations with construction of infrastructure after lengthy delays due to demonstrations by environmental groups, disputes with farmers over land compensation and talks with the government.

Annual productionBase Resources expects its Kenyan project’s annual production of titanium ores to include 330,000 tonnes of

Titanium Miner Gets Boost With Tax Cut

limonite, about 10 per cent of the world’s supply, and 80,000 tonnes of rutile, or 14 per cent of global output.Titanium is an important pigment for industrial, domestic and artistic applications. Titanium is also a choice material for joint replacement =, tooth implants and body piercing.Base also expects to produce 40,000 tonnes of zircon, another type of mineral, mainly used in the ceramics industry. The titanium mining along with that of gold and nobium is set to put Kenya on the global mining map and lift earnings of the sector that stood at Shs. 18.3billion in 2011 up from Shs. 9.6billion in 2009.Kenya awarded its first mining license to UK’s Gold Plat in October and offered Canadian firm Cortec Mining Kenya rights to explore rare earths and niobium minerals in Kwale where Base Resources is stationed.The Australian firm raised $162.3million (Shs. 13.6billion) through a cash call and debt of $170million (Shs. 14.2billion) for the titanium project.“With funding in place, Base is well advanced with pre-implementation activities and is working towards project commencement in early October. A timetable for development will see production commence in the third quarter of 2013,” the company said.


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Australian firm Base Resources launched an underwritten share offer that aims to raise Sh3.41 billion to finance

operations at its titanium mine in Kwale and boost working capital.The mining company seeks to raise Sh2.1 billion through the placement of 61.62 million new shares to institutional and highly experienced investors, and another Sh1.3 billion through an entitlement offer of 38.3 million shares to existing shareholders.The share offer is taking place at the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX).“The funds raised from the offer will be put into the development of Base’s Kwale mineral sands project in Kenya, provide additional working capital and pay the costs of the offer,” Tim Carstens, managing director of Base Resources.The announcement of the offer came barely a week after the company said it had raised the capital cost of its Kenyan titanium project by 14 per cent following design improvements and rising labour costs. The firm said it projected to spend Sh22.96 billion in addition to Sh1.9 billion in unspecified contingencies. “While much of the increase in capital cost can be attributed to design

improvements and scope changes during the design phase, a significant proportion is related to expenses on labour”,said Carstens.He said the firm was pursuing various financing options to accommodate the increased capital cost.“These alternatives include extended or additional debt facilities, an equity raising, the reallocation of internal funding, or some combination thereof,” he said.When completed, the project south of Mombasa is expected to produce 330,000 tonnes of limonite a year, about 10 per cent of the world’s supply, another 80,000 tonnes of retile per year, which represents 14 per cent of global output, and a further 40,000 tonnes of zircon.In May 2011, the Australian f irm increased its ore reserve estimates for the Kenyan project by 20 per cent after a feasibility study. The miner said it now projects 140.6 million tonnes of viable ore reserves at Kwale.Rutile, which is composed of titanium dioxide, is an important pigment for industrial, domestic and artistic applications. Zircon is mainly used in the ceramics industry while limonite is related to titanium.The Kwale project, which was first started

in 2006 by Canada’s Tiomin, ran into difficulties when financing fell through.An attempt to transfer the ownership to China’s Jingchuan also failed, before Base Resources stepped in.The project has also been delayed by a series of setbacks including demonstrations by environmental groups, disputes with local farmers over compensation for land and drawn-out talks with the government.Base Resources said it plans to start drawing down its Sh14.1 billion debt facility with a syndicate of six lenders towards the end of this year as part of the Kwale financing package.Mr Carsten said the project would remain on schedule for completion in September, next year.The discovery of large reserves of gold in western Kenya continues to attract foreign interest with several international mining giants either moving to grow their output or buy into existing businesses.The coastal strip especially around Kwale has also caught the attention of international firms following the discovery of rare minerals such as niobium and titanium that is an important pigment for industrial, domestic and artistic applications.

Titanium Company Seeks Money for Exploration


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The new Sh5 billion berth 19 is set to be complete by the end of this year citing increased

container traffic. The berth which started construction early this year has already seen container traffic grow 24 per cent in the first half of the year. The new berth will add a further 160 metres to the existing terminal bringing the total length of the terminal to 760m from 600m.Currently, berths 16 and 18 can handle three vessels with a maximum length of 180m each.Kenya Ports Authori ty had last week called for bids for design and construction three docking spaces. The port construction estimated at a cost of Sh440 billion is one of the seven projects outlined in the Sh1.4 trillion Lapsset corridor. According to the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) who is the implementing agency, the construction of the three berths in Manda Bay will take five years. The port will be three times the size of current Mombasa port large and deep enough to accommodate post-“Panamax” vessels .The three berths are to handle 30,000 Dead Weight Tonnage (DWT) and 100,000 DWT for general and bulk and container cargo respectively. The development of the berths is crucial for importation of building materials for the other project components.

New Berth Poses Increase in Port Traffic

The country’s largest infrastructure project, the Lamu Port-South Sudan E th iopia Transpor t corridors (Lapsset) is making

progress after the government called for bids for design and construction of the first three docking spaces.The port construction estimated at a cost of Sh440 billion is one of the seven projects outlined in the Sh1.4 trillion Lapsset corridor. According to the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) who is the implementing agency, the construction of the three berths in Manda Bay will take five years. The port will be three times the size of current Mombasa port large and deep enough to accommodate post-“Panamax” vessels .The three berths are to handle 30,000 Dead Weight Tonnage (DWT) and 100,000 DWT for general and bulk

Bids Called for Design of Berths for the Lapsset

and container cargo respectively. The development of the berths is crucial for importation of building materials for the other project components.Work is ongoing on the construction of the headquarters that will harbor all operations pertaining the Lapsset project. The project intended to link Lamu to Ethiopia and newly independent South Sudan will involve construction of a railway line, pipeline, highway, airport and a refinery. It will open up the northern part of Kenya for trade and development as well as create links to the Coast.The country’s head of state together with the premier had earlier appealed to investors to invest in the project. The tendering is open to both local and international firms. Interested firms are advised to form joint ventures so as to meet the requirements


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Clearance at the ports and entry points will now be eased following the government’s move to adopt an electronic

single window system that is aimed at hastening the process. The initial phase of the electronic single window system is set to be operational in March next year.The system expected to make exporting and importing into the country fast and transparent by minimizing manual process. It will also reduce the number of days that importers take to clear cargo at the port of Mombasa to three.The system will require importers to electronically lodge documents for the cargo they intend to clear at the port, and all agencies charged with clearance of imports will view the documents as soon as they are uploaded. It will also allow these agencies to share and exchange these trade related documentation electronically. An importer has to lodge the documentation to multiple agencies – including the Kenya Revenue Authority, Kenya Bureau of Standards,

Ports to Adopt New Clearing System Early Next Year

different departments of the Kenya Ports Authority, and the Kenya Plant and Health Inspectorate. “The single window will reduce to three days the time taken to clear cargo at the port of Mombasa, to eight hours at the airports and just an hour at the border crossing points,” said Joseph Kibwana, chairman Kenya Trade Network Agency (Kentrade) said yesterday at a Kenya Port Authority luncheon in Nairobi.“All the relevant authorities will be able to view the lodged documents at the same time and give their costing to the importer who can then pay their respective costs and go ahead and get their cargo from the ports”, he added.Kentrade is the Government agency set up to implement the Kenya Electronic Single Window System. The first phase expected in place mid next year will automate cargo documentation processes by integrating the systems of all the key stakeholders involved in cargo clearance in the public and private sectors.The second phase will be implemented

in the subsequent months and will entail integration of the Single Window System with the National Payments System through a National Payment Gateway to ensure an end-to-end electronic solution in trade logistics.At the moment, clearance of cargo is done manually resulting in delays at the port. The delays then result in congestion at the port, long truck queues at the border posts and high trade transaction costs. The manual system has also perpetuated corruption and seen Kenya rated as an uncompetitive trade and investment destination.Transport Minister Amos Kimunya said other than the single window system, there are other measures being implemented to increase efficiency at the port, which has experienced severe congestion and delays, and even forced importers to use the Port of Dar-es-Salaam.The port is also putting up the second container terminal to increase the capacity to twenty foot equivalent units as well as a berth.


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The Kenya Maritime Authority called upon all vessel owners, operators, agents, ship masters

and coxswains to get licenses as described by the new law so as to continue with business. The law gazetted by the Minister of Transport will have all traders operating solely within the territorial and inland waters of Kenya licensed. The move supported by Kenya Shippers Council will help improve safety of ships operating on Kenyan waters. The registration of the vessels will allow for only Kenyan vessels to trade within the country’s territorial waters. The vessels will also be subjected to annual inspection to ensure the seaworthiness. The licensing process will go on until end of August this year. The law targets ships of more than 24 metres length and below 300 tonnes. The international Maritime Organization regulates only the ships that are more than 300 tonnes with international trading routes. In Kenya, there are a total of 19,000 ships and vessels operating solely on Kenya waters with only 40 of which are licensed.

Kenya to License its Water Vessels

The Greenfield project finally got a go ahead nod from the cabinet after a long time battle in controvesy.The cabinet in

a meeting chaired by President Kibaki directed that the project should proceed with the involvement of all stakeholders.The Sh55 billion project, which will see to the development of a new terminal at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) was scheduled to begin in August this year and end in 2015.This was however not possible following a lot of controversy arising from the awarding of the tender.The Greenfield terminal will have a floor area of 172, 000 m2 with 50 international and 10 domestic check-in positions; 32 contact and 8 remote gates; an apron with 45 parking bays and linking taxiways and a Railway terminal.The terminal to be developed in two phases will expand JKIA’s capacity by 12 million passengers to more than 20 million passengers a year in Phase I. It

will have a parking capacity, including “remote parking” for 60 aircraft bringing the total numbers of available parking slots over one hundred aircraft. It will also separate the arrival and departures gates.The terminal complements a five- year plan that began in 2007 to expand the capacity of the airport from 2.5 million people a year to 6 million to date. The previous expansion plan which incorporates the construction of terminal 4 increased the size by creating a parking for 37 aircraft up from 20 previously. This phase cost a whopping US$200 million.The green field project has a phase II. This will be constructed after the second runway which will connect the green field terminal Phase I. Phase II will expand capacity by the same proportions as Phase I. This will raise the size of JKIA to more than 600,000m2.The expansion comes at time when Kenya Airways, whose major hub is JKIA, are planning to increase its fleet from the current 39 to 107 over the next ten years.

New Airport Terminal gets Cabinet Approval


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Major works on the Kenya-Uganda railway are set to begin in January following

Rift Valle Railway securing a loan .The Sh24 billion loan will be used to finance a five year business master plan.The project under a consortium of Citadel Capital, Transcentury and Uganda’s Charles Mbiire will see to the restoring of 1100km of rail as well as increasing the speed of the railways. The repairs will include a 70km curve between Mombasa and Nairobi and also nine culverts between Busembatia and Jinja.The company imported enough spare parts to overhaul six engines of which two are almost done. They now have the capacity to service 15 wagons a month.

The cab ine t approved the construction of a new, modern, standard gauge railway from Mombasa to Kampa la to

enhance the movement of goods and passengers within the region.The new railway will be built along the old ones though the old railway which in existence now is substandard and very slow. The old rail connection has been starved of repair for over 20 years explaining its poor state. Other sources indicate that the railway line will extend even to Rwanda, Kigali originating from the South Western town of Kasese through Mbarara and Kabale.Railway system has been praised as the cheapest with an advantage of its ability to withstand heavy luggage. When complete, the high speed railway is

Railway Operator Secures Loan

expected to reduce the current high cost of transport.Rift Valley Railways Group is looking up to an improved efficient system following increase in capacity as well as speed. It is expected to bring reprieve to road users by minimizing the heavy trucks on the road since traders will prefer to use the cheaper railway system to ferry.The construction is however not decided when it will start and how much the project will cost but the feasibility studies for the project are to begin by early next year to determine the financial cost and the technicalities of the investment. Funding modalities of the project are yet to be done to determine whether the project will be financed by the regional community (EAC) or the partner states involved in the project.

Regional Railway Line Approved


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The Rift Valley Railways has embarked on an ambitious effort of bringing new life to the regional rail transport and

ease pressure on the roads after spending six years sourcing for funds. The Kenya-Uganda railway concessionaire secured its first batch of rail equipment worth Sh1.6 billion to undertake redevelopment of the worn-out sections of the Nairobi-Mombasa line in order to allow for bigger capacity trains and increased line speeds.It has already shipped in 10,000 sleepers, 6,869 metric tonnes of rail bars and other rail materials to repair the 70KM rail tracks so as to increase freight volumes by increasing off-take by the railway from Mombasa port.According to the Chief Executive, Brown Ondego, the main focus is to improve the condition of the permanent way so as to enhance transit time, increase line speed from the current 25-30km per hour to 70kn per hour and provide reliable and quality rail services.The first trance of a loan package signed in August last year has been used to buy

materials to repair the Nairobi-Mombasa rail track. The firm plans to invest Sh24.08 billion over the next five years to upgrade its trains and railway lines. It has also lined up a programme to increase quality and quantity of rolling stocks, and enhance overall efficiency of the railway system.The permanent way is expected to start being laid out immediately. There has also been commissioned the construction of nine culverts on the Uganda side of the track –between Busembatia and Jinja-at a cost of $4.9 million expected to be completed by December.Upon completion of the two projects, the reliability and efficiency of the operations is expected to improved significantly. Currently, the railway network in Kenya carries only four per cent of freight, while the other 96 per cent is carried by road. According to the Kenya Ports Authority, the railway system’s capacity needs to be increased by about 15 per cent for Kenya to match many of the developed countries.

Nairobi Commuter Railway Elsewhere, Kenya Railways and InfraCo Africa will jointly develop the Nairobi Commuter Rail Project to implement a reliable and efficient commuter rail service. This will be done through the modernization and expansion of the existing railway system in the Nairobi Metropolitan Area.The project will involve rehabilitation and upgrading of tracks within the operating area of approximately 62KM of meter gauge railway.15 kilometers of the existing lines will also be doubled and a new 6.5KM line connecting the existing mainline at Embakasi station to Jomo Kenyatta Airport (JKIA) constructed. Refurbish works will be done on the fueling depots, installation of new signaling, upgrade of the communication and control systems as well as the ticketing system.The system is expected to initially comprise 10-15 commuter train sets operating over 4 lines. One will be an express link from the Nairobi Central Station to the JKIA.

Revamping the Railway System


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The Government acquired a Sh25.5 billion loan from the World Bank to refurbish the country’s urban transport system.

The money will be used to finance the country’s Nairobi Urban Transport Improvement Project (Nutrip) whose ultimate goal is to decongest traffic on the Northern Corridor Road, which passes through Nairobi.The new infrastructure proposed under the project includes the expansion of Mombasa road, Uhuru Highway, and Waiyaki Way through to Rironi – and launching of both a bus-rapid-transit system and a modern commuter system in Nairobi. The Nyayo National Stadium, through to Museum Hill is to be transformed into a Decker Standard – with grade separation of all major junctions on Uhuru Highway.The project to be implemented by five agencies – Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), Kenya Urban Roads Authority (Kura), Kenya Railways Corporation, Ministry of Roads, and Ministry of Transport is expected to facilitate regional and international trade, and improve access from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to Rironi.

Nutrip will also facilitate the construction of by-passes in Kisumu and Meru to ease traffic flow in these towns, and also fund the establishment of the proposed Nairobi Metropolitan Transport Authority. The Government will also reform the railway sub-sector particularly with regard to the establishment of a clear regulatory framework to support and deepen private sector participation over and above the current railway concession.The concessionary loan will be repaid within 30 years at the rate of 0.75 per cent and a grace period of 10 years. The project will reduce the transportation cost on the Northern Corridor route by 25 percent. With this financial agreement the World Bank’s total portfolio of advances to Kenya has reached sh314.9 billion.So far the World Bank has advanced a total of Sh85 billion to improve Kenya’s road network. According to the World Bank Country director Johannes Zutt,the bank has to date, invested Sh39.1 billion in the Northern Corridor project and another 5 billion in the Transport Sector Support project, bringing the Bank’s total financing to the transport sector to more than Sh85 billion.

Sh25.5 Billion Boost For The Nairobi Urban Transport ProjectExpansion works on the Kisumu

–Kakamega –Kitale road are expected to begin before end

of year. The road which dissects Kakamega and Bingoma counties crossing the great Northern road in Webuye will be expanded to a dual carriage.The expansion of the road is considered critical for the economic growth of Kakamega County as well as to help ease traffic flow on the busy road. The contract is said to have already been awarded to three contractors. Each contractor will work on a given section of the road. One will build the road between Kisumu and Kakamega, the other one will build between Kakamega and Webuye while the third one will deal with the final section between Webuye and Kitale.The project being financed by World Bank and the government will cost Sh10 billion.There has been ongoing road expansion works in urban cities like the 5.5 km long dual carriageway from Jogoo Road stretching to Juja Road and other repair works on the roads. The aim is to ease access and exit from the major cities.

Western Road to be Expanded to Dual Carriage


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KSh7 trillion is the amount of money the government is intending to spend on road construction over the next 15

years. A National Road Sector Investment Plan by the Ministry of Roads has been completed and is expected to improve the country’s business environment for both domestic and foreign investors.The plan, divided into three phases of five years each will have the first phase end in the year 2015.The phases are; short term (2010-2014), medium term (2015-2019) and long term (2020-2024). During the short term period, there is a plan to recarpet and reseal 4,800 kilometers of paved roads, rehabilitate 3,900kms of paved roads and upgrade 3,900kms of roads to all weather. The total paved road network is 16,525kms. According to an official in the ministry, Sh605 billion will have been spent on roads improvement by end of 2015.The first priority will be given to roads in Nairobi with expansion of some major

highways and construction of by-passes under way.Among the roads to be improved in Nairobi is the connection between Adams Arcade and Ngong town via Bomas of Kenya which will be turned to a dual carriage. Works are set to begin in January next year as negotiations with Exim Bank of China to fund the project go on.Also in plan is the construction of an interchange at the Doonholm roundabout set to begin next year. The interchange will replace the roundabout which is a major cause of traffic jam.Massive infrastructure upgrade is needed if this country is to get to the envisioned economic status by 2030. Total funding for the road sub-sector has been improving greatly from $50 million in the 2006/07 financial year to $1.2 billion in the 2010/11 financial year. This year’s budget allocation was Sh123.6 billion, an increase from the previous Sh104.3 billion. Allocation is projected to increase to $1.4 billion in the 2014/15 financial year.

Massive Investment on Roads to Boost Economic Status

Chinese contractor, China Road and Bridge Corporation handed over the Eastern by-

pass road to Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) after successfully completing works on the road.KURA will now be responsible for both rout ine and per iod maintenance of the road section between Embakasi Garison and road (C63) Kiambu-Ruiru.The eastern by-pass section road is 26 kilometers with a fully marked road of thermo plastic paint, three major box culverts at Nairobi River, Gatharaini River, Kamiti River, two over-passes at Kangundo road and Ruiru railway over-pass with guard rails installed at specific locations.The route is popular to motorists plying Thika, Kiambu and Ruaka routes from Mombasa road so as it avoid the Uhuru Highway which is common with traffic jam.The bypass project, launched in 2009 by the president comprises of three main by-passes that are meant to reduce traffic and ease access and exit from the city. The Sh8.5 billion by-passes were: Northern bypass which links Limuru road to Thika Road; Eastern bypass which links Mombasa road to Ruiru-Kiambu road near Kamiti prison and the Southern bypass which runs from Kikuyu to Mombasa road via Ngong road & Langata.

Contractor hands over Eastern by-pass


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Safaricom intends to spend Sh8 b i l l ion in lay ing ou t fibre optic cables across the

country. This comes at a time when telecommunication firms are battling to own stake at the lucrative internet bussiness.The country is also in a move to adopt fourth generation (4G) and shift from the current 3G.Safaricom intends to deploy an independent fibre-optic network in a bid to curtail their reliance on third parties for wholesale internet access. They will lay down 2,300 km of fibre-optic cable in the next four months, an operation expected to take 18 months.Britain’s Vodafone, who own 40 percent of Safaricom already has 600km of fibre, and will start adding another 800km from November. As demand for higher band width continues to go up, the company intends to extend the footprint by up to 500km per year in the next three years. In mid this year, Safaricom initiated talks with a number of local operators, including Telkom Kenya and Essar Telecom Kenya (ETK, or ‘yu’) for the project, but only Airtel had expressed an interest.The company is highly dependent on fibre for voice and Internet services and will finance the investment internally. Other mobile operators in the country are racing to extend their network coverage across the country to keep up with the growing number of subscribers, up 16 per cent in the first quarter of this year to 29 million users compared with the same period last year. Internet usage grew by 69 per cent to 6.5 million subscribers.

Firm to Lay Down 2,300Km of Fibre Optic

Internet service provider, Access Kenya announced plans expand its network coverage to all counties in the country. This came at a time when

the government was working to invest in the newly formed counties to enhance development.The Sh250 million expansion plan targets mostly government business in the counties. The company plans to open branches and expand infrastructure in more towns where demand for data services is expected to grow as the devolved government units take shape. Offices are set to be opened in 15 towns by the end of this year to cover all the county headquarters in the medium term.The firm also plans to explore the opportunities in the rapid expansion of banks, multinational enterprises and other financial institutions that

Internet Provider to Expand Works in Counties

demands specialised IT support from telecommunication service providers.Earlier this year, the firm announced plans to expand its metropolitan fibre network in Nairobi and Mombasa at a cost of over Sh100M.The expansion would cover additional areas along Thika Road, Outering Road, Mlolongo and Lower Kabete. Access Kenya recently opened branches in Nakuru and Kisumu, plans to establish operations in Embu, Meru, Malindi, Kakamega, Kisii and Webuye, among other towns in the short term. So far it has already laid 330 kilometers of fibre optic cables in towns like Mombasa and Nairobi and it wants to increase the infrastructure by up to 70 kilometers by the end of the year.The aim is to deliver fast internet speeds to clients in buildings as well as furthering the company’s reach to new clients.


NEWS

Wo r l d B a n k i s n o w considering rolling out various ICT incubation

centres in other parts of Africa after its success in Kenya. Two of the ICT incubation hubs in Kenya were set up by Nokia and infodev, a global partnership program in the Financial and Private Sector Development Network of the World Bank Group-to serve the growing technology community.S p e a k i n g d u r i n g t h e O p e n Innovation Africa Summit (OIAS) in Nairobi, infodev’s programme manager, Valerie D’Costa pointed that they were studying various incubation centres in Kenya with a view of replicating the same in other countries in Africa.The innovation hubs are open space for the technologist, investors and techno logy companies . Through organized forums, the hubs l ink entrepreneurs with venture capitalists from across the world. They are aimed at building capacities and link entrepreneurs with venture capitalists.The 3 day OIAS forum hosted at the Nairobi Safari Park attracted over 200 of Africa’s top policy makers, developers, entrepreneurs and pr iva te enterpr i ses . The conference theme-Leadership in Innovation-focused the spotlight on the leadership required to drive accelerat ion of Afr ican entrepreneurship and innovation, in order to reach ambitious targets for socio-economic development across the continent.

World Bank to roll out ICT incubators in other parts of Africa

Wh i l e t h e i s s u e o f e n e r g y r e m a i n s a ma jo r cha l l enge in many nat ions, local

telecommunication companies are looking at alternative ways of powering their networks. The World Bank Group through its investment arm, International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the GSMA, a global association representing the interests of mobile operators, signed an agreement to increase the use of green-power technologies at network sites in areas with limited or no grid-power access.IFC said it will issue Sh70 million grant and advisory services on clean energy and private sector financing for adoption of alternative energy in running networks. This is expected to significantly reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and optimize

Green Energy for Networksbusiness models of mobile operators worldwide.The agreement is part of the joint IFC-GSMA “Green Power for Mobile” program which promotes the use of green power such as solar and wind at mobile network towers in remote, rural areas around the world. The two organizations will work together to develop industry standards, facilitate technical training, conduct feasibility studies, and promote good business practices for green power in the mobile industry.Under the agreement, IFC and GSMA aim to develop more than 10,000 green mobile-power sites over the next four years. As a result of the program, the total number of green-power sites worldwide so far has increased by 36 percent since 2009, up to nearly 12,600 sites.

30 KENYA ENGINEER - NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 201230 KENYA ENGINEER - NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2012

The Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC) launched a four-year regional project to improve water supply and solid

waste management. The Sh960 billion project dubbed Lake Victoria Water and Sanitation (LVWASAN) Initiative will be implemented in five East African Community member states namely-Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.It will involve the development of infrastructure and creation of alternative solutions to problems that arise from lack of proper water and solid waste management systems in towns. This is connected to rapid growth of population in secondary towns which result to unplanned expansion, run-down and non-existent basic infrastructure and services.The project is being funded by the African Development Bank. The bank however had delayed the project which was to start last year arguing that the project should uniformly in all the five involved countries.Among the towns to benefit from the project in Kenya are;Keroka,Kericho and Isebania.The project will develop basic infrastructure in line with the Millennium Development Goals.

ASh 8.3 billion irrigation project is set to be launched in Nyeri County, Kieni Constituency.The project targets the development of five mega dams

in the Aberdare Ranges and Mt Kenya which will serve 50,000 households in Kieni and 15,000 others in Solio settlement scheme in Laikipia East with water for irrigation. The dams will be constructed on Ngare, Ngiro, Narumoru, Chania, Waiwa and Karemenu rivers. They will hold 100 million cubic metres of water which is enough to allow an inter-basin transfer to Laikipia and Isiolo counties.The project will be funded by Arad Bank Economic Development for Africa who have already released Sh34 million for carrying out feasibility study for the project. Each dam will cost between Sh886.4 million and Sh1.6 billion. The study has been completed and forwarded to the National Irrigation Board (NIB). The report from the study shows that the project is economically, technically, socially and environmentally feasible. The only thing remaining is the final design, drawing, bill of quantities and preparation of tender documents and specifications.

Sh960b for Water and Solid Waste Management

Sh8.3Bn Irrigation Project to be Launched in Nyeri

NO MORE TARMACKING!www.kenyaengineer.co.ke now allows job seekers to upload their CVs

onto our online database. The database is readily accessible to employers in the Engineering field. Finding a job has never been this easy!


A conference on sustainable m a n a g e m e n t o f w a t e r resources within the Mt. Kenya zone was held from 13th to

14th September this year at Sportsman’s Arms Hotel – Nanyuki.The conference was the first joint conference on water resources within the Mt. Kenya catchment zone organised by Kimathi Universi ty College of Technology, Chuka University College and Meru University College of Science and Technology.The three University Colleges have signed an MOU with the objective of addressing water resource management in the region. The outcome of the workshop would form a basis in developing implementation proposals meant to address varied water issues within the Mt. Kenya region. Among the topics discussed included:

water resources management, policies on water resources, water and agriculture, climate change, hydrology of Mt. Kenya region and water quality assessment using biotic indicators.The Kenya Vision 2030 on water and sanitation proposes to ensure that improved water and sanitation are available and accessible to all. Kenya is a water-scarce country with renewable fresh water per capita at only 647 m3 against the United Nations recommended minimum of 1,000 m3. This in turn affects every aspect of human life: health, agricultural yields, food security, technical development, and the economy. Pollution of water resources is also common mainly due to lack of good societal infrastructure such as sanitation, garbage handling, adequate water pipes and treatment plants.

Universities Hold Joint Conference On “Sustainable Management Of Water Resources”

In most parts of the country, droughts and floods have far reaching impacts on communities. Strategies for sustaining and distributing water resources therefore require inter alia inter-basin transfers, demand management, changes in land use and improved water resources management. The development of these strategies requires support in terms of sufficient data and predictive tools for water resources planning.

‘

NEWS

Kenya is a water-scarce country with renewable fresh water per capita at only 647 m3 against the United Nations recommended minimum of 1,000 m3

Delegates following proceedings at the conference


Ethiopian Airlines will be the first in Africa to take delivery of the long awaited dreamliner aircraft. The State-run airline described as the

fastest growing airline business in Africa, took delivery of the first long awaited Boeing 787 Dreamliner on Tuesday August 14, which has been named ‘First African’ on August 14, in Seattle, Washington. “This airplane is going to move Ethiopian Airlines to the forefront of aviation leadership around the globe”, said Tewolde GebreMariam, Chief executive of Ethiopian, in a statement.Ethiopia showcased the plane in Washington DC to invited guests and members of the large Ethiopian Diaspora community; it then made its inaugural trip to Africa with its first revenue flight from Dulles International Airport on August. Celebrations were then held in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa upon arrival of the aircraft. It becomes the first airline in the world outside Japan to receive this ultra-modern aircraft.

Ethiopian Airlines Set to Receive Dreamliner Aircraft from Boeing

According to the Ethiopian Airline, the first Ethiopian Dreamliner would operate on rotation basis to about 15 African destinations starting from August among them; Kilimanjaro, Mombasa, Harare, Lusaka, Nairobi, Entebbe, Lagos, Johannesburg, Abuja, Malabo, Douala, Lome, Accra, Maputo, and Luanda, Dubai, Mumbai, Rome, London, and Frankfurt are also the destinations for Ethiopian’s operation with the Dreamliner.The plane’s maiden flight took place on a weekend, a flight near Mount Kilimanjaro

on the Tanzania-Kenya border. The Boeing 787 range of aircraft provides airlines with unmatched fuel efficiency, resulting in exceptional environmental performance according to the plane’s manufacturer.According to Boeing,the airplane uses 20 per cent less fuel than today’s similarly sized airplanes. It also travels at a similar speed as today’s fastest wide bodies, Mach 0.85. Airlines will enjoy more cargo revenue capacity.Boeing says that composite materials make up 50 per cent of the primary structure of the 787 including the fuselage and wing.Ethiopian Airways has nine more 787 Dreamliners remaining on order.Ethiopia, who operates an all-Boeing fleet, is the first carrier outside Japan to take delivery of a 787. United Airlines and Air India are expected to receive their first copies of the aircraft before end of this year. Kenya Airways which markets itself as the Pride of Africa, just like Ethiopian Airline is also in the race to acquire the Dreamliner fleet.

‘Ethiopia, who operates an all-Boeing fleet, is the first carrier outside Japan to take delivery of a 787

INTERVIEW


NEWSPICTORIAL

Guests visit the ‘40 Years of Progress in Kenya’ desk at The Sportsman Alms Hotel, Nanyuki during a conference.

The ‘40 Years of Progress in Kenya’ book on display at Village Market, Nairobi.The ‘40 Years of Progress in Kenya’ book on display at Nakumatt Galleria, Nairobi.

The ‘40 Years of Progress in Kenya’ book presentation at the ESA dinner. Minister for Environment & Mineral Resources Chirau Ali Makwere and COMESA Secretary

Mr. Sindiso Ndema Ngwenya pose with a copy of the book.


T he Kenya Defence Forces, under the leadership of the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom), has been injected

with fresh support, aimed at bringing down the Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab. The docking of the Kenya Navy Submarine (KNS) Jasiri, Kenya’s largest and most sophisticated battleship, late August at the Mkunguni Navy Yard, signaled a new commitment by Kenya to bring stability in the war-torn Somalia. The, Sh4.6 billion, vessel is expected to consolidate efforts to secure Kenya’s territorial waters. Kenya Defence Forces has already declared that KNS Jasiri’s arrival had boosted KDF’s capacity to defend the country and role within African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom).

“Jasiri has capabilities that we did not have. If there are some people out there thinking they can come to our waters and worry us. Let them know that things can get very tough for them,” said General Julius Karangi, Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces.

The Machinery and DesignMV Jasiri weighs 140 tonnes, 85 metres long and 13 metres wide. The ship is fitted with long-range cannons, missile launchers, machine guns, sophisticated radar and communications systems. In addition, it is armed enough to function as an offshore patrol vessel. It is argued, that Jasiri, as the name insinuates, is among the best warships owned by navies in Africa with the exception of South Africa.

The ship is fitted with the most modern armor, to prevent damage when it hulls. It also enables one to stay alive longer. The ship has four different fields: • Deck Armor-which, provides defense against incoming high angle fire and dive bombs; • Belt Armor-which, provides defense against direct incoming fire • Bulge –which, provides defense against torpedo, and naval mine damage • The Bulk Head- which, gives the hull stronger overall defense by increasing its Structural defense, and allowing one to maintain a higher cruising speed when damaged or crippled.

The AmmunitionOne of the intrinsic features of MV Jasiri

With its Complex Military Launchers, there is new hope for security in the Kenyan Coast.

MV Jasiri

NAVAL SHIP


is its ability to be equipped with the best guns possible. Jasiri has three components including the Main guns Here, N, L and D types of guns are loaded. These guns offer a standard option of range and firepower.

The Long- range (‘L’)These guns require a higher level than the other two guns and with that, offer the farthest range possible for this gun type. However, the reload times may be slightly higher than the other two.

The Reloaded (‘D’)The guns are more ideal for ‘spray and pray’ tactics, while they offer the fastest reload possible for its gun type, at the same time sacrificing range to obtain this ability.

Anti-Aircraft (‘A’) The guns are specifically used to combat Aircrafts. Ironically, it does not do any damage to any Naval Vessel, enemy or friendly.

Th e P r o c u r e m e n t p r o c e s s a n d ControversiesIn 2003, the Government of Kenya entered into a contract with Euromarine Industries by which Euromarine would deliver an oceanographic survey vessel to the Kenya Navy for close to Sh4.6 billion. Construction started in March 2003 and officially launched to the sea in January 2005. However, the purchase of the ship was clouded by controversy, with lobby groups citing it as one of the Anglo-

Leasing projects. This meant the ship had to remain docked in Spain for some years. The payment process was halted in June 2005 on allegations of corruption. In 2007, Parliament was informed that an amount of Sh1.55 billion had already been paid to the Spanish contractors, Euromarine. Department of defense later resumed negotiation in 2007. Lobby groups criticized the process arguing that the procurement process was corrupt. The procurement process was again stopped over allegations of corruption. The supplier then sued the government over withheld payments.Hopes dimmed February this year when negotiations between the Kenyan Navy and Euromarine broke down. The navy thus rejected the ship because much of the equipment on board was outdated. This insinuated that some of the machines were no longer functioning. Instead, it was said, the vessel was going to be purchased by the Nigerian Navy. In May 2012, the Parliamentary Budget Committee recommended Sh3.6 billion payment for the contract entered in 2003 for construction of the ship. The ship

NAVAL SHIP

MV Jasiri


docked in August 2012 at the Mkunguni Navy Yard.

Future Developments Recently, the Kenya defense forces naval wing and the South African Defense Forces naval arm announced that they were planning to build armed naval ships to increase their maritime capability. Though the two defense departments are in the early stages of creating a partnership, there are high possibilities that the project will consummate and be rolled out in the coming few years. It is expected that the two countries will use their key talents from the engineering fraternity. They are anticipated to come up with a comprehensive design, which will form a key foundation to the building of the navy ship. South Africa built a naval ship approximately three decades ago. The ship is still in use. The South African nation is one of the

defense equipment manufacturers in the world having successfully developed nuclear technology, armed personnel carriers, helicopters, and guns, among other defense equipment. According to South African defense officials, the East and South African maritime security requires real naval ships with capabilities of an air wing that can carry out operations from the sea.

Nuclear-powered shipsIn what could bring revolution in the world’s naval ships, there are signals that engineers have started working

on nuclear-powered ships. Across the world, countries, particularly the US, have expressed interest in expanding the use of nuclear power to a wider array of navy surface ships. The new development is expected to kick off with the CG(X), a planned new cruiser that the navy across the world had wanted to start procuring in 2017. It is argued that, the total life-cycle cost of a nuclear-powered medium-size surface combatant would equal that of a conventionally powered medium-size surface combatant if the cost of crude oil averages $70 per barrel to $225 per barrel over the life of the ship. Compared to conventionally powered ships, nuclear-powered ships have advantages in terms of both time needed to surge to a distant theater of operation for a contingency, and in terms of operational presence in the theater of operation.

Why in Spain?Historically, navy ships made in Spain tend to be fitted to operate in harsh landscapes, especially where the high water waves tend to slug enemy attacks. Currently, around ballistic-missile defense warships are being forward-deployed to Naval Station Rota, Spain, by 2015 as part of the Navy’s major plan to cushion Europe from nuclear missiles. The relocation of assets is as part of the grand United States’ ongoing effort to better position forces and defensive capabil i t ies in coordination with European allies. The cruiser Monterey was the first ship to deploy as part of the European Phased Adaptive Approach, a land- and sea-based network of radars and interceptors designed to counter ballistic missiles. Somalia coastline is considered one of the world’s most dangerous stretches of water due to incessant pirate attacks. Demanding millions of dollars in ransom for captured ships and their crews, Somali pirates are intensifying operations not just off their own coastline, but further afield in the Red Sea.With this new technology, relative calm will return in Indian Ocean. This means, firms will no longer incur high costs as far as ransoms to pirates and high insurance charges are concerned.

‘Somalia coastline is considered one of the world’s most dangerous stretches of water due to incessant pirate attacks

NAVAL SHIP

General Julius Karangi, Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces

exchanging pleasantries with Navy soldiers

KENYA ENGINEER - NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2012 37KENYA ENGINEER - SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2012 37


Kenya’s Parliament underwent a crucial rejuvenation in August with the introduction of Africa’s most modern technology

introduced in the House.With approximately seven months left before the expiry of tenure of Kenya’s 10th Parliament, legislators will no longer be shouting to catch the House Speaker’s attention; they will just use the new system by logging in with a special card. The refurbished chamber has a capacity of around 418 members contrary to the congested old chambers, which could hardly accommodate 150 members. The refurbishment began in April 2010.

The Technology and DesignIn the new outfit, members will be in a position to access state of the art technology at their seats. The renovated facility has inbuilt transistor radio and television broadcasting studios transmitting live feeds straight from the floor of the House. It has been designed in the shape of a horse-shoe with a sitting arrangement that rises up away from the

centre to give Members of Parliament a better visual by being at a higher vantage point. The visibility has been perfected by every rise towards the peripheral areas and the converging application the shape allows. It is unanimously argued that the completion of the new chambers upgrading will mark a critical development for the people of Kenya. Facilities in the refurbished chamber are expected to aid members fulfill their responsibilities to the people of Kenya more effectively. The modernization of the chambers makes to the list of spectacular landmarks innovative engineering continues to bring to the fore in the country. The unique facility injects some ambience that is widely seen as a catalytic to motivate people’s representatives discharge their roles in the country’s governance. More importantly, it factors in the needs for members with disability for it has tailor-made accesses for such persons.

Communication Control Systems

Kenya’s Parliament Goes Digital

The Sh920-million renovation, whose idea first germinated in 2004, has a key control room in which cameras and other important equipment will be operated from. In total, it will house 11 cameras that will capture the proceedings of the House in real time. Broadcast will also be relayed live selected carefully by a tea of technicians who will be operating behind the scenes. The team will be made up of a producer whose key function will be to preview the shots and settle for the preferred live feed at a time. A graphics expert will also be on hand to generate the necessary graphics. A different station within the same setting will be responsible for audio control. “We are on high speed internet connection within the precincts of parliament and members can access these connections on their devices with suitable capacity consideration,” said House Speaker Kenneth Marende.The new chamber has red reclining seats complete with armrests and a decorative symbol conspicuously showing the court

PARLIAMENT

The newly refurbished parliament chambers


of arms at the head of the backrest. Each member has a microphone which is situated at the front of their space and can be arched in all directions with a flexibility that is supposed to come in handy to be moved forward whenever a member has the floor and pulled backwards and away whenever it is idle. According to the House Speaker, the Kenya prison department was able to make the seats and deliver them to parliament at a cost of Sh77 million. Were they bought from a different place, it would have costed the House Sh168 million.

Electronic Voting SystemIn the new development, Members will be able to sit at any position. However, they will be required to input a special card into a system comprised of electronic voting system and computer monitors in order to log into the system to participate in debate. To operate the single-user computerized Parliament facility, member will be required to insert the card, then input the four-

digit personal identification number. Thereafter, a Member will have to press the microphone for the PIN to be accepted. For a member to catch the attention of the Speaker, he or she should press the mic button once to request for floor. If you wish to raise a point of order or intervene press intervention button marked “int”.According to Mr Marende, a similar refurbishment would be done to the old chambers ready for use by the senate. This will include the construction of a multipurpose office block made up of a multipurpose parliamentary annex with offices for legislators. The old chamber was modeled after the Westminster system of government in the United Kingdom.During the opening of the new chambers, President Mwai Kibaki said the Government is committed to provide resources for the two-chamber legislature to function effectively. “I encourage the current members of parliament to seek re- election because the next parliament will be an important pillar of

the government. The status and place of parliament will remain paramount,” he said. According to the designers of the new chambers, the model is heavily borrowed from German Bundestag and the Tanzanian Parliament, has more than 20 mobile seats to cater for “any extra numbers.” The history of Parliament Buildings dates back to the inception of a Legislature in the country. The forerunner of the present Parliament, the Legislative Council first met 1907 in a corrugated, iron-sheet building along Haile Selassie Avenue, that housed Railway Institute. Currently this site, where the Legislative Council met till 1924, is occupied by the Railway Golf Club. Between 1924 and 1954, the Legislative Council met in the Memorial Hall (the present Bank of India) along Kenyatta Avenue. The renovation on the present site of Parliament Buildings began when Governor Sir Philip Mitchell laid the foundation stone in 1952 for the older portion of the current Parliament Buildings.

PARLIAMENT

BIOGAS


B i o ga s i s an e s t ab l i s hed , r e n e w a b l e , c l e a n a n d particulate-free source of energy that can be used as a primary

fuel or as a substitute fuel. At household level, the gas is predominantly used to provide clean fuel for cooking and lighting. At commercial level, the gas can be used to displace such fossil fuels like diesel, petrol and natural gas as some of the fuels used to power motor vehicles and run plant machinery. Biogas belongs to family of bio fuels that include among others, biodiesel, producer gas (or syngas) and ethanol. As

its name suggest, it is produced through biological processes and it is gaseous in nature. The biological process in this case fermentation, could either be anaerobic or aerobic. Biogas is a combination of other gases. The gas composition consists of methane (55-65%), carbon dioxide (35-40%), hydrogen sulfide (<1%) and traces of water vapour. To have more energy per unit volume of gas, the carbon dioxide content in the biogas should be removed.To achieve this, the raw gas from the digester has to be enriched through purification, compression and bottling of the gas depending on its final application.

In Europe especially Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy and Denmark, use of biogas and natural gas in both public and private transport sectors is a fast growing phenomenon. Germany has 622 biogas/natural gas refueling stations while Italy has 521 stations. There are available passenger cars, buses and trucks that run on enriched biogas/natural gas from such manufacturers like Volvo, Mercedes, FIAT, MAN and Ford among many others.Compared to natural gas that has between 75-98 % methane with small percentages of ethane, butane and propane, the composition of raw biogas from a

Enriched Biogas as a Motor Vehicle Fuel


digester makes the quality of the gas not good enough to be used as fuel to power machinery. But there is available and proven technology that can improve the methane content of biogas. It is currently possible to improve the quality of biogas by enriching its methane content to a level where it matches that of natural gas. With methane enrichment and compression of the gas, it can be used as fuel to power motor vehicle that runs on compressed natural gas (CNG). Biogas lower emission levels compared to those of natural gas and diesel makes it more desirable and climate friendly. But how is the biogas enriched? There are many ways in which the gas can be enriched but the most common, low cost and fairly simple in application is water scrubbing. In this method, the raw biogas is injected from the bottom of a packed scrubber with pressurized water being injected from above. Since carbon dioxide is soluble in water under different temperatures and pressures, ideally a water scrubber dissolves between 95-98% of the carbon dioxide contained in the biogas. Thus, the initial 40 %

carbon dioxide present in raw biogas is reduced to about 2 % by volume in enriched biogas. To increase the solubility of carbon dioxide in water, raw biogas is also compressed up to about 1.0 MPa pressure. Since enriched biogas can be used to power motor vehicles and machinery. It is important to package the gas in bottles or provide refueling infrastructure so that it’s handling and distribution is easy. To bottle the enriched gas, it has to be compressed first before being filled in high pressure steel cylinders (available in the market for CNG storage). For example, to make enriched and compressed biogas (CBG) suitable for automobile application, the enriched biogas is compressed to about 20.0 MPa after moisture removal and filled in special high pressure steel cylinders. To be used for motor transport, biogas has to be enriched to at least 95% methane and then it can be used in vehicles originally modified to run on natural gas. A study done in India on a 3 cylinder 4 stroke 800 cc vehicle, showed it’s possible for a motor vehicle to run on biogas. The car in question had an average fuel

consumption of about 9km/kg biogas and covered 60 km on approximately 1 hour. In Britain, the Volvo S80 Bi-Fuel has a five cylinder; 2.4-litre bi-fuel engine powered by biogas or compressed natural gas (CNG) with petrol acting as a back-up. The car engine uses two separate fuel systems, and automatically switches to the back-up petrol system should the primary biogas/CNG supply run out. A tank of biogas or CNG gives a range of 250-300 km (Nyeri-Nairobi round trip) and the reserve petrol tank provides an additional range of about 350 km.but for biogas to become a viable fuel to power motor vehicles and machinery, Kenya will need to invest in a national network of compressed biogas (CBG) and liquefied biogas (LBG) refueling stations akin to petrol/diesel distributers we currently have. But unlike our ‘normal’ refueling stations, biogas refueling stations will require a different set of fueling considerations. Special insulated storage tanks will be required to store the fuel on site and fueling on fast fill basis will still take slightly longer than normal liquid fuel vehicles.

BIOGAS


Export markets provide great o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r Ke nya n companies to grow and expand t h e i r b u s i n e s s . H ow e ve r,

companies have to overcome one major challenge, which is to provide products that meet national standards. They are also to comply with relevant national technical regulations and codes of practice. One option towards addressing this technical barrier is to adopt international standards.Empirical evidence suggests that international standards and regulations create rather than reduce trade, both export and import. There is no empirical evidence that adopting international standards opens the local market to outside competition and may kill local industries.One of the main objectives of every business is to grow. The key growth areas that companies target are profitability, market share, assets and geographical coverage. In a truly free market economy, growth in these key areas is impacted by competition, market size, standards and regulations and geographical limits. Marketing strategies developed by companies aim at minimising the negative impacts of each of the above factors to enhance their business growth.

Kenya’s market economy cannot be said to be ‘truly’ free. This is because even though prices are not regulated (except kerosene, petrol and diesel), products are not available in sufficient quantities, varieties and adequacy to promote true competition. Low incomes, small population and poor infrastructure limit the market size in terms of demand of products. These frequent distortions inhibit business growth.

The Export MarketThe local business environment has no significant effect on the export market. This market is enormous. COMESA alone is a market serving 400 million people with a combined GDP of US $ 360 Billion and an import bill of US $ 32 Billion. This market provides an excellent opportunity for Kenyan industries and it is gratifying to note that a number of Kenyan companies have ventured into the said market with a majority focusing on Eastern Africa. Before venturing into the export market, companies must be aware of national standards, relevant technical regulations and codes of practise that they are to comply with.S tandards - Th i s i s a documen t established by consensus and approved by a recognized body, that provides for common and repeated use, rules, guidelines or characteristics for activities or their results, aimed at the achievement of the optimum degree of order in a given context. Standards are based on the consolidated results of; science, technology and aimed at the promotion of the optimum community benefits. The recognized body that approves standards in Kenya is Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS). Regulations- a document that provides binding legislative rules adopted by an authority. In Kenya the authorities

vary depending on the object and type of regulation. In the case of energy for example, the Energy Regulatory Commission would be the relevant authority and the National Environmental management Authority (NEMA) would be the relevant authority for environmental regulations.Code of practice- a document that recommends practices or procedures for the design, manufacture, installation, maintenance or utilization of equipment, structures or products. A technical regulation is a document that provides technical requirements either directly or by referring to or incorporating the contents of a standard, technical specification or code of practice.To avoid conflicts between national and international standards, nations usually declare through legislation the superior standard. In Kenya, where a conflict arises, the Kenya Standard prevails. This is normally the case in many countries.Standards and regulations serve specific objectives, which may include health, safety, compatibility, environmental protection, quality, technology transfer, variety control, better utilization of resources and removal of trade barriers. The ImpactNational standards and regulations can have negative impacts to imports if in their preparation, adoption or adaptation and application; they accord favourable treatment to products of national origin. This is because they then create technical barriers to imports of competing products. Furthermore, the cost of compliance, which might involve product and process modifications including conformity assessments, increases the cost of the imports making them less competitive. International standards and regulations can also have negative impacts by creat ing barr iers to exports f rom developing countries like Kenya. This

By Eng. Kiremu Magambo

International Standards and Business Growth Prospects for Kenyan Industries

BUSINESS


happens if they do not take into account the country’s level of development, technical, financial, trade, infrastructure and production methods.To address these legitimate concerns, the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade provides for special and differential treatment of developing countries. Developed countries are obliged to take into account the special circumstances of developing countries in formulating standards and provide necessary technical assistance to suit the local conditions.Advances in technologies, financial systems and modes of transportation have made doing business across borders easy. The internet and e-commerce enables companies of any size to market its products globally. New and innovative global finance and banking systems and services have made it fairly easy and cost effective to conclude international financial transaction. Concisely, adequate and cost effective infrastructure now exists to market products globally. The existence of this infrastructure affords Kenyan manufacturers great opportunities for growth and expansion through exports.Effects of different National standardsWhen supplying to different Nations with different standards the production cost goes higher. It means your products must be revised to suit the specific target market.To gain access to markets with differing national standards, countries and/or regions may establish mutual recognition agreements (MRAs) in which each country or region accepts products testing data of the other to obtain required certification for conformity with national standards. The other options include national treaties in which two or more countries agree to provide market access to each other’s products; laboratory-to-laboratory agreements in which laboratories agree to mutual recognition and acceptance of products that have been certified by any one of them; standards harmonization in which differences between standards of same scope are minimised or eliminated and international standards.With the exception of the international standards, all the other approaches to

access to markets with differing national standards have geographical limitations in the sense that the market is limited to participating parties. On the other hand, international standards when adopted by a country provide access to global markets. International standards have positive and significant impacts on exports from a country. Two studies reported negligible impacts and only two studies reported negative impacts. In the same literature review study, 14 out of 24 studies showed that adoption of international standards has a positive and significant impact on imports into a country. This means that the imports into a country would increase. In the same report by Swann, studies based on Perinorm, a database of standards published by 23 countries as well as the leading international standardization bodies such as IEC,ISO, ITU and European bodies such as ESTI and CENELEC, show that the effect of standards is to create more trade rather than reduce it. The impact of international standards to trade is a complex matter and to determine the impact of adopting such standards requires detailed studies focused on specific countries and products. The above studies covered developed countries and the findings may not necessary be applicable to Kenya or other developing countries. However, Kenya has a much more developed industrial base compared to most other countries in Comesa. It is therefore a net exporter to these countries.

Therefore, what does Kenya gain by adopting international standards?To start with, Kenyan companies that adopt international standards have immediate access to international market. Take the case of IEC for example. IEC standards are recognized in all member countries of IEC, which are over 50. Most of our electro-technology standards are either adopted or adapted IEC standards. More importantly, Kenya being a net exporter of manufactured goods in the region, would gain increased access to the regional market providing an avenue for more rapid growth and expansion to

local companies.By adopting international standards, Kenyan companies would greatly reduce the cost of compliance and the resultant economies of scale would result in more competitiveness of locally produced goods. S tandards c rea te con f idence in consumers that the product is safe for use and that it meets a minimum performance requirement. For an international consumer, an international standard creates more confidence in imported products that may not meet national standards. Consequently, local products that meet international standards will more readily get export market acceptance. The increased trade between Kenya and other countries will greatly contribute to the country’s GDP and reduction in Kenya’s current account deficit. By adopting international standards compan ie s a re enhanc ing the i r contribution to the country’s economic growth.There are several other tangible and intangible benefits associated with adoption of international standards but the above are the major ones. With the current enabling infrastructure for facilitation of international trade, it is recommended that Kenyan manufacturers should adopt international standards to create confidence and trust in Kenyan products and gain access to international markets. This will provide great opportunity for local industry to thrive and grow irrespective of the local economic environment.

The Author Eng. Kiremu Magambo, a Corporate Member of IEK is a member of the Kenya National Committee of the IEC and the Principal Consultant with Rencon Associates Ltd, a Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Power Systems Consulting firm. He can be reached at [email protected]

BUSINESS

SECURITY


AbstractElectrical transformers are a vital and essential part of transmission, distribution and retailing of electrical power, and indeed in our everyday life. However, purchasing and installing them is a very costly undertaking. Logically, when one such transformer is vandalized, many activities may be adversely affected, bringing with it unnecessary suffering and agony; for instance observation and treatment of patients in intensive care units is affected, business enterprises within the locality served by such a transformer lose income, and by extension the utility provider loses substantial revenue as a result, to mention but a few. The most profound impact of transformer vandalism is its retarding effect on the realization of the aspirations of Kenya’s Vision 2030.This Paper discusses a security system with a primary goal of securing the t ransformers wi thout necessar i ly electrocuting the would-be vandal. The system is both technical as well as communal because no purely technical solutions would be sufficient without the involvement of members of the particular community served by the transformer. The Transformer Security System is able to detect intrusion and switch a lamp and a siren to awaken members of the community in the vicinity of the equipment. This project is still being refined as it will come out in subsequent discussions. (Socolofsky, 2002)Keywords: transformer security system, Mulika Mwizi, 555 Timer.

IntroductionNever has security been so paramount - in our homes, schools, industries, and in our every day lives. Vices such as piracy, hacking of information systems, burglary and vandalism, among others, have caused this necessity. Many security systems have been developed but none has been customized to the protection of transformers as observed in Kenya.The current mode of securing transformers is the Mulika Mwizi initiative. Its success is pegged on the premise that a community member(s) should raise an alarm upon spotting the vandal. This is a serious gamble, since the vandals could strike any time – day or night. This Paper, discusses the model of a transformer security system developed to address the threat, and its improvements that are underway.

System ModelTheoretically, the system can be presented using a block diagram as indicated in Figure 1 below

The shown model uses a 555 timer set as an astable multivibrator to generate IR signals and an IR detector; such as TSOP1738 or an LDR to detect intrusion, and uses a 555 timer in monostable mode to provide timing for actuation. This method however has some shortcomings; namely:-1) The 555 timer is prone to frequency changes due to temperature increase, and as the component ages. 2) There is need for a frequency counter during initial setup (Bodnar, 2005)

In order to improve the reliability of this security system, a microcontroller/microprocessor i s to be used. A microcontroller has the following advantages:a) It is stableb) It is not prone to driftingc) The part count is reducedd) There is no need for initial calibration of frequencye) Ability to transmit signals from a remote location, for example to a server/phone

Transformer Security System

Peter Kirwa Meli, Martin M. Nzomo, S. Maina MamboKenyatta University, School of Engineering and Technology,Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, PO BOX 43844-00100, Nairobi, KenyaEmail: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

SECURITY


(Bodnar, 2005)Other improvements envisioned include use of a camera e.g. CCTV camera to take pictures/videos, and the ability to capture the vandal on the spot. The sensitivity and reliability of the sensing may also be improved by using, such as dual/hybrid sensors e.g. one made by combining PIR and ultrasonic sensors.The system is a standalone one which works only on a single transformer. To further improve on it, it is intended that a distributed system will be used where the individual systems would be internetworked and the information stored in a server/database managed by the utility service provider.

Algorithms and Calculations The system was implemented and will continue to be refined based on the following engineering algorithm:• Identification of the problem/design

objectives• Definition of goals and identification

of constraints• R e s e a r ch a n d g a t h e r i n g o f

information• Creation of potential design solutions• Analysis of the viability of the

solutions• Choice of the most appropriate

solutions• Building/implementation of the

design• Testing and evaluation of the design• Repetition of the steps as neededThese steps were followed and three methods were found to be useful in creation of potential design solutions:-

a. Analytic/Mathematical modelIn developing this project, discussions were held with relevant parties, which included researchers, users, community members, as well as selected individuals from utility provider. These helped to give insight to the problem at hand. It also helped gain insight on the problem definition.With the problem well defined, possible solutions were explored such as the use of infrared/LDR - based detection of intrusion. Other methods explored were the use of PIR sensors, Ultrasonic sensors, dual technology sensors, among others.

However, limited time and financial limitation constrained the full exploration of the later methods. With the IR-based (and later the LDR based) method selected, their mathematical model was developed.b. SimulationsThe transmission frequency as well as the length of time for which the output is high was simulated using trial version of Proteus software. This helped in the selection of components, as well as non-destructive testing of the working of the security system. The results for this are shown in the results and discussion section below.c. Prototype ModelThis model was built using actual tangible components; resistors, 555-timer ICs, capacitors, LEDs, and so on. It was used to verify the working of the theoretical and software/simulation based models. AnalysisThe methods above were analyzed so as to decide on what the best method of implementation is. Dual/hybrid sensing technology was found to be the best choice. However, due to financial and time constraints, this method could not be explored. IR/LDR was used in stead. For the IR, the values of capacitance and resistance of the monostable 555 timer which determine how long the lamp and siren are on were varied.

Results and DiscussionsThe following results were obtained in relation to the three modeling methods.1. For the simulation, time for which

the output is high matches the theoretical/mathematical one.

2. Frequency of transmission for the simulation matches the theoretical frequency.

3. The output of the prototype model does not match the one for the simulation and the theoretical ones.

4. The minimum threshold for the LDR based sensor to sense intrusion varies with the amount of illumination on a particular day; and the intensity of light for the particular place; the darker the day or place, the lower the threshold.

The difference in the response of the

theoretical/simulation and practical prototype models is because of the inaccuracy of the components used. Their rating may not be exact hence their values are not accurate. Their values also change with increase in temperature. This does not affect components in the simulator, hence the explanation for its relative accuracy.The LDR based sensor relies on darkness for sensing intrusion. Hence, when the day or place is dark, it lowers the threshold for the detection as observed above.There are no comparisons to be made between this project and what existed before because none has been reported so far. It is therefore a pioneer project in the area of securing transformers.

ConclusionThe security system described in this article responds and works as expected. It is able to detect intrusion and light an LED in place of a lamp. It therefore serves as a good prototype for the actual implementation. This forms the basis for the implementation of an actual security system.The only shortcoming so far with the project is lack of finances to implement an actual security system. Once funds are available, the project can be fully implemented and the communities affected by the loss of a transformer will stand to gain. The new changes envisioned can then be introduced and explored, and the attendant benefits realized.

ReferencesBodnar, D. (2005, 09 04). Pulsed Infrared Sensors. Retrieved 08 25, 2012, from Pulsed Infrared Sensors: http://davebodnar.com/railway/Pulsed_IR_ArticleHewes, J. (2011, 06 13). 555 and 556 Timers. Retrieved 08 24, 2012, from 555 and 556 Timers: http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/555timer.htm Ryan, V. (2002, 04 15). LIGHT DEPENDENT RESISTORS. Retrieved 08 23, 2012, from LIGHT DEPENDENT RESISTORS: http://www.technologystudent.com/elec1/ldr1.htmWilliamson, G. A. (2007, 08 14). 555 Animation. Retrieved 08 24, 2012, from Williamson Labs: http://www.williamson-labs.com/480_555.htm


This year’s Engineering Students Association annual dinner was held at Sarova Panafric on 14th September,2012. It was a

resounding success and a credit not only to the engineering students, but also the University of Nairobi fraternity, who have always been of great support and encouragement. This year’s theme was: Energy and Infrastructure Development in view of vision 2030. The Chief Guests at the event were Eng. Meshack Kidenda, Director General- KeNHA and Eng. John Mativo, Head of Technical Services – KETRACo. The event brought together both engineers and students through interaction, sharing of knowledge and ideas in the engineering profession.Eng. Meshack Kidenda brought to the attention of the guests present, the strides made so far in infrastructure development towards attaining vision 2030. KeNHA has been at the fore front in managing, developing, rehabilitating and maintaining national roads. The upgrading from a highway to a Superhighway, the Nairobi- Thika road improvement project has been more than a blueprint of the Millennium Development Goals as it is now a reality. Also of keen interest was the construction of the Limuru road overpass and the Museum hill interchange just to mention but a few. The great effect and

benefits of the upgrading have been far realized as evident in the reduced traffic snarl up and the ‘nightmare’ of long hours on the roads immensely reduced.Eng. John Mativo on the other hand, illustrated the crucial role and present development in the energy sector. KETRACo has the mandate to transmit electricity, a role that they have effectively been diligently doing with an eye to upgrade the present transmission capacity by the year 2020. The energy sector in Kenya has been of keen interest and various developments have been enhanced with the recent commissioning of Olkaria III. Renewable energy as solar and wind are the latest eye openers that the stride towards green energy is headed.As it was not all talk time, glamour and suspense filled the room. It was full of pomp and color: the decoration, ladies and gentlemen in their best dinner outfits did not disappoint. The menu complemented the look, with a touch of African cuisine to sample from. The rib cracking jokes from the master of ceremony was a perfect way to grace the occasion as the guests sampled their appetites on the delicacies. This was then followed by the hand-over and change of office after which, the launch was the Student Engineer magazine was

culminated. The September- October issue of the magazine is the first issue for the academic year 2012/2013. The editorial team shared their vision: ‘To increase the number of issues published within the academic year.” The new officials were given the task of being of service not just to their members but to all the esteemed engineers and engineers to be. As a sign of their commitment to service, the moment that all were waiting for had finally arrived. Cake cutting: in commemoration of their pledges, the incoming team was given the opportunity to serve all the guests present with a piece of cake to seal it all.The chairperson, then shared with the guests, the strides that the association has made so far and the year planner. We really appreciate the support received especially from engineers well represented from: Kenya National Highways Authority, Kenya Electricity Transmission Company, National Council for Science and Technology, Kalpataru Power Transmission Limited, Institution of Engineers of Kenya, Feradon Associates, Kenya Engineer, Association of Consulting Engineers of Kenya and Eng. Carey Orege. The dance floor was then officially opened for the annual dinner dance.Prepared by: Sally L. Musonye4th Year -Electrical Engineering

The Annual Engineering Students’ Dinner a Resounding Success.

Eng. Meshack Kidenda, Director General-KENHA

delivering a speech at the ESA dinner


TO; FELLOWS

MEMBERS ASSOCIATES GRADUATES

RESOLUTION OF IEK 2012 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

During the 2012 Annual General Meeting held on Thursday 10th May 2012 at 6.00 pm at KICC, Nairobi, the AGM approved the motion on IEK home.

IEK HOME Motion: To set a special levy to members towards loan repayment of Kshs. 12.5million to Housing Finance.

Approval: The AGM voted and approved that ALL members make a single payment of Kshs. 9,000 or in three installments of KShs. 3,000 per year starting 1st JULY 2012.

Your special levy is due 1st July 2012 and or at subsequent annual subscription dates

Eng. M. ShiribwaHon. Secretary

INSTITUTION OF ENGINEERS OF KENYA

The Minister for Roads, Franklin Bett in the gazette notice no. 12077 the engineers act appointed the new officials of the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK).The officials will serve for a period of three years, with effect from 14th September, 2012.

Eng.D.M Wanjau,formally chairman of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya was appointed the chairperson of the board. Members of the board are as outlined under:- Eng Julius Marimi Riungu - Eng,Prof Bancy Mbura Mati- Eng Grace Apiyo Opiyo Onyango - Eng Abdullahi M. Samatar- Eng,Prof Francis John Gichanga- Eng Reuben Kiplangat Kosgei - Eng Aruna Ashwin Patel

The Engineers Board of Kenya Appointments

IEK Western Branch

Members of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya (Western Branch) hosted council members of

the institution at their meeting held at Mumias Sugar Company limited on 29th September, 2012. Thereafter, the engineers visited the congen power production project and the new ethanol plant at the company. According the chairman of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya-Western Branch, Eng. Prof. Paul M. Wambua, the meeting and industrial visits were part of the continuous professional development (CPD)for engineers as envisaged in the Engineers Act 2011.

Riverside DriveDaphton Court, C10 P.O Box 45754 - 00100 Nairobi.Tel: 020- 4443649/56/72 020- 2589051Fax: 4443650CeCell: 0719207712/0733666346Email: [email protected]/[email protected]

Members of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya-Western Branch at the ethanol plant, Mumias Sugar Company

IEK


IEK

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. H J Nyaanga 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

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kenya engineer november/december 2012

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