GREEN ENERGY CAN HELP FUEL KENYA'S GROWTH

The most important determinant in making the transition to a Green Economy from the wasteful, polluting and ultimately unsustainable brown economy is energy where we find it, how we use it, how we recycle it is all that matters.

The world, as a whole, needs to be more efficient in its use of energy and needs to develop new, renewable sources if we are to lessen an excessive dependence on the fossil fuels - oil, gas and coal. Expanded use of geothermal power could be one major advance combining economic, social and environmental benefits needed for true sustainable development.

At a continental level, the energy sector in most parts of Africa is characterized by an acute energy crisis due to high oil prices, persistent droughts and unrivalled demand from unprecedented population growth.

To ensure consistency in energy production in Kenya, there is need to develop renewable energy systems that will help in creating energy independence and even a considerable new source of revenue. This can be done by utilizing a unique combination of solar panels, "biogas" generators, natural wastewater treatment plants, and wind turbines.

It is equally important to create a thriving renewable energy sector in the country that is self-sustaining and abundantly beneficial for the local economy, the environment, and the public.

In 1990s there was an outburst of energy policy changes around the world. Driven by economic, ecological, security and social concerns, energy regulation has been in great flux. As seen today, the world’s population is growing and is to reach 10 Billion people in 2050 according to Boyle, 1990 and also by end of 21^st century UN projection is that the population would be between 10 and 12 Billion people and all this will be there to depend on renewable energy.

According to Kenya Institute of Public Policy Research and Analysis study and analysis, 2010 of  energy consumption in Kenya most of households (52%) in Kenya use kerosene for lighting and 60% of households use biomass for cooking. The connectivity to electricity also varies from region to region; Nairobi 53.47%, Central 42.4%, North Eastern 14.5% and western 14.7% (ERC, 2010).

With rapidly growing demand for energy, the government has clearly identified renewable energy, such as solar, wind, and geothermal, as a reliable and sustainable way to increase energy supply.

From this case, renewable energy production has presented the potential for income and employment generation to many Kenyans. It has also encouraged private investment while minimizing environmental harm.

There is need to increase policies and create new policy tools that will aim at reducing  inefficiencies existing in conventional bidding processes for grid energy and encourage small players to participate in the development of the energy sector. There is also need to ensure that efforts are presented on exciting opportunities for new players in the market, including social entrepreneurs and impact investors hence growing market opportunity.

Renewable energy is important because of the benefits it provides. For instance, in the physical environment, renewable energy technologies are clean sources of energy that have a much lower environmental impact than conventional energy technologies. Moreover, it is an energy that will not run out ever. Other sources of energy are finite and will someday be depleted. Also, most renewable energy investments are spent on materials and workmanship locally to build and maintain the facilities, rather than on costly energy imports.

According to the government’s National Climate Change Response Strategy 2010, Kenya stands a chance to benefit from carbon markets by putting in place mitigation measures including the promotion of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies.

It is imperative if the country is to meet the growing demand of energy and reap various benefits including reducing foreign expenditures on crude oil and other petroleum products. Kenya’s power capacity currently stands at about 1,500 MW compared to 40,000 MW in nearby South Africa. It is estimated that Kenya will need 10,000 MW of installed capacity by 2030 to meet peak demand.  Kenya’s population estimate by National Council for Population and Development is estimated to reach 73M by 2030. This is expected to   significantly reduce the cost of providing the Kenya’s energy needs. Further research is required  into  the  interaction  between  population size  and  other variables  which affect  the cost of energy provision, including development of more efficient technology and energy storage.

Increasing energy demand and constrained energy supplies are likely to impact how energy affects your business in the future.

If energy cost is increased the costs of basic commodities will go up, profits will be reduced due to high operating costs, there will be decline of sales of energy-using products, loss of competitiveness in energy intensive businesses and disruptions in supply chains as suppliers are unable to meet cost obligations or go bankrupt and therefore affecting growth in economy.

Kenya needs reliable energy to expand its industrialization sector through major projects like Konza Technology City, Lappset and Laptop project.

It is also vital if the renewable energy resources map is updated to reflect more emerging technologies. Easily accessible online information will potentially attract more investor interest in the region. 

CTBT AND THE OPPORTUNITIES IT AVAILS TO KENYA

The Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) advocates for the elimination of nuclear weapons, and materials and the use of nuclear energy in peaceful applications. In 1996, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) to ban all nuclear explosions in all environments including, land, underground, under water and also in the air.

The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) was established to achieve the objectives and purpose of CTBT by means of promotion of treaty signature and ratification for entry into force. It also exists to ensure the implementation of its provisions including those for international verification of compliance and provide a forum for consultation and cooperation among state parties. Its headquarters is in Vienna, Austria.

Kenya is the national focal point for liaison with CTBTO and signed the treaty on 14th November 1996 and ratified it on 30^th November 2000. By signing the treaty, Kenya pledges not to carry out nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosion and to prohibit and prevent any such nuclear explosion under its jurisdiction or control.

Seismic stations monitor shockwaves in the earth especially those caused by earthquakes while infrasound can detect ultra low frequency sound waves that are emitted by large explosions. Kenya hosts two international monitoring stations (IMS), a primary seismic monitoring station at Kilimambogo and an infrasound station at the Geology Department of the University of Nairobi. These two stations are linked to others worldwide and have installed equipment which detect illegal nuclear testing, transmit the same to the other stations and to the International Data Centre (IDC) in Vienna, Austria. A National Data Centre is situated in University of Nairobi which analyzes all data received from the 2 stations for national development then transmits it to the IDC.

Data received at the IDC is processed to derive objective products and services which offer a range of useful civil and scientific applications which could contribute to sustainable development and human welfare benefit the member states.

Data collected by stations can be used for other purposes apart from detecting nuclear explosions.  The IDC provides data for disaster mitigation especially in early detection of tsunamis and earthquakes which can save lives by evacuation of people around the affected regions.

Technologies used for detection of nuclear explosions can also be used for climate change monitoring; supporting research on marine life for instance whale populations and migration patterns that might be affected by climate change.

Why is it important to ban testing of nuclear weapons and materials? Nuclear testing emits deadly gases into the atmosphere which have adverse effects on both human and plant life. Exposure to radiation has been proven to damage body cells and even cause mutation leading to cancer. Humans are exposed to effects of radiation when they feed on contaminated vegetation, meat or milk products from animals exposed to such radiation. Radiation exposure depends on dosage of exposure to radiation and its effects may range from injuries to skin, eyes, and hair loss damage to internal organs or even instant death.  

Some of earthquakes detected by the seismic station in Kilimambogo include the 2002 earth tremors caused by volcanic activity in L. Tanganyika, Tanzania, the earthquakes  of  July  2007 which  originated   from   Lake  Natron  in   Tanzania  and   affected  buildings   in  Nairobi   because  of   movement    and   cracks as well as the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster in Japan in 2011.

The benefits that Kenya has accrued through its cooperation with CTBTO include the setting up of the two monitoring stations and National Data Centre, capacity building through training courses and workshops for personnel who man and interpret data from these stations and technical assistance in the installation and operation of international monitoring systems through the organized missions from the CTBTO headquarters. Other benefits CTBT offers states parties include enhanced international peace and security by supporting treaty.

The IMS Unit at the Department of Geology, University of Nairobi provides technical advice to the national authorities from wave form data obtained from the national stations that are part of the IMS and from the IDC products and act as a communication node for data from these stations and the IDC. The IMS Unit is also concerned with critical issues related to natural hazards of similar magnitudes such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, tsunamis etc.

Enforcement of the CTBT therefore provides international security and protection of human’s health and environment from radionuclides released from radioactivity. Therefore the challenges of provision of adequate facilities and manpower for seismic and environmental monitoring locally must be dealt with.  There is need for IMS equipment upgrading and capacity building to ensure accurate reporting of the location and magnitude of earthquakes to improve the estimation of earthquakes hazards for disaster mitigation management and response efforts.

In the same breadth, there is need to strengthen seismology and geophysics research and training in our training institutions as well as the capacity to carry out earthquake studies and mitigation measures in potentially damaging earthquakes and tsunami related events.

 KENYAN INNOVATIVE TALENTS FOR JOB CREATION AND NATIONAL SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Kenya has one of the highest population growth rates of with over 60% of its population falling within the Y-generation.  A youthful population besides its challenges of demand for education, health services and jobs is a driver to economic growth in terms of the enormous supply of labor that such as population is endowed with which can be harnessed and channeled for national development.

Despite the many challenges, it is important to remind ourselves that our youth are a resource that if channeled appropriately into our national productions systems can be used to create opportunities for jobs and wealth creation. Kenyans are known to be very innovative people. Already the country is known globally for the MPESA innovation that is used to money transfer money using cell phones both locally and internationally.  Some of these innovations are mainly carried out by the youth who explore new ideas on how to solve problems especially using IT technology. Already Kenyans have come up with novel innovations that can help the vast arid areas of this country use very little water to grow their crops, while others have developed gadgets that can help reduce post harvest losses in cereals caused by aflatoxin. A visit to the national Secondary school science congress leaves one overwhelmed by the innovativeness of our Kenyan youth as they translate scientific principles leant in School  into technologies that offer solutions to some of the challenges that our beuaurocrats and policy makers are struggling with such are water purification, increasing dairy productions using locally available animals feed, using household wastes and solar energy to provide ‘clean’ energy such as biogas and solar power as a way of mitigating climate change among many other projects. Exhibitions from the Informal ‘Jua Kali‘ sector and the technical and Vocational training sector paint the same picture of a country full of  people who would want to use their ideas to provide solutions to their daily problems and also make a livelihood out of it.

Such talent needs a framework if the country is to harness the potential that embedded in our youth. Such a framework would include education and public awareness on intellectual property rights (IPR), funding of innovations from development of ideas through prototype to commercialization stage, and establishing incubation hubs for innovations, policies that would encourage the private sectors partnerships and support for local innovation and provision of incentives to local innovators in terms of friendly taxation and low bank interest rates for those who want to move their  prototypes to commercial production.

Already thing are looking bright for the Kenyan innovation sector. For the last four years, the government have been supporting Kenyan who have ideas to develop them into prototypes and products through a competitive innovation grant offered by the National Commission of Science, Technology and Innovation NCSTI) the predecessor of National Council for Science and Technology. The Innovation fund provides 1 million shillings to an innovator to transform the idea into a prototype. Once this has been successfully done and the market feasibility carried out and found viable, NCST have gone ahead to support innovator with a small capital grant of up to 3 million shilling for start commercial start-up. So far a few successful innovators  such as Kupata Technologies that uses 3G remote camera for security surveillance and Mbetsa who developed a cell phone enabled Car tracker. These innovations have been supported by the NCSTI and have already transformed into full commercial enterprises that are not only doing vibrant business but have created employment to other Kenyans. Already the innovation Society of Kenya in collaboration with Kenya Institute of Education and in response to the plan by the Government to provide laptops to Kenyan school going student are have already developed an ipad going by the name the  ‘Swag Educator’ in which the curriculum and e-text books can be uploaded and used by both teachers and students. This innovation have advantage of using solar power and batteries that can be charged as children play in ‘a swing’ during break time or games therefore making it suitable for use in remote  parts of the country that do not have electricity supply.

With the new STI Act 2013, thing cannot be any better. This Act besides creating NCSTI  establishes two other agencies, the National  Research Fund NRF) and the Kenyan National Innovation Agency (KENIA) The NRFs’ mandate is to mobilize fund locally and internationally for Kenya’s research and innovation sector while KENIA is to provide  legal and policy framework for effective development, regulation and coordination of Kenya’s innovation sector for national socio-economic development. Towards this end, KENIA will be an important focal point for tapping into the huge talents that exits in this country for national development. To be able to do this, the private sector particularly venture capitalist, financial institutions and industrialist, research institutions, and the public sector must endeavor to work together. The government on the other hand need to ensure that policies that will facilitate mainstreaming the informal Jual Kali sector into the national innovation system. This sector produce very durable products but have challenges of appropriate machinery and equipment for appropriate product finishing, lack of organized markets, and business financing. This problem therefore makes it very hard for their product to be competitive and to penetrate the international market.  A structured reorganization of this sector by KENIA will not only ensure that our innovators within this sector enjoys better returns from their ideas and work but that the country also earn foreign exchange from export from the sector instead of relying on glossy sub substandard products imported into the country.

Lastly, may I take this opportunity to invite all Kenyans to the 2^nd Science, Technology and Innovation week which is currently going on at Kenya International Conference Centre, Nairobi. This event started on Monday 13^th and will end on Friday 17^th May 2013. The vent has brought together stakeholders within STI sector including academia, research, private sector and international partners to show case research and innovations being done in the country.  This forum provide a forum for our innovators from the informal sector, secondary schools, technical colleges, universities, research institutions, government agencies and the private sector to showcase some of the best innovations and products, Come and appreciate the huge potential that exist in our country and the range of products that our innovators have developed that are already in the market.

LAPSSET PROJECT TO BOOST ECONOMIC GROWTH IN THE REGION

Infrastructure development is an important lever through which a country can deliver fast socio-economic development. Kenya has set out to roll out an ambitious infrastructural project that will link its Indian ocean city of Lamu through its vast northern region to two neighboring countries; Southern Sudan to the North west and Ethiopia to the North. Dubbed The Lamu Port-Southern Sudan–Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) corridor, this project will comprise development of a brand new Lamu port at the coast with a new oil refinery, an oil pipeline, standard gauge railway line and a road network  linking Lamu and the two countries. Along the corridor, airports, resort cities and a vibrant tourist and livestock industries are expected to come up that will completely transform the region, improve the lives of the indigenous communities and generally contribute to the countries’ Gross National Product.  The LAPSSET project is therefore a critical flagship project of the Vision 2030 given the socio-economic project that is expected from its implementation.

Benefits of the project include opening up of the northern region of this country which for a long time has been in the periphery of development. The Northern region has huge potential for Livestock industry through production of beef, hides and skins and other related products which have a ready market in the Middle East countries. It is the prerogative of the government to initiate programs that enable exploitation of the vast potential within the region. Such programs should highly be based on those that will improve value addition through use of ST&I to increase market competitiveness of the products that will come from the region. The construction of an International Airport at Isiolo, is indeed a good starting point because it will offer investors easy access the international market through export of the goods and services.

The region is also home to wildlife which is a big attraction to the tourist industry but which has not been exploited due to reliable mean of transport and communication. The development of efficient and diversified transport system including standard gauge railway system and international airport will significantly change this scenario and lead to setting up of resort cities and metropolis in the once marginalized areas along the route.

Other benefits expected from this project will include increased opportunities for investment by both local and foreign investors; strengthening regional integration of the East African region through increased trade and interconnectivity by the alternate route for northern African countries to the Eastern and Central African bloc. Moreover, the construction of Lamu port as a second harbor with more berth space for ships,  will increase trade opportunities especially between Kenya, Southern Sudan and Ethiopia and the international world hence strengthening our regional ties and creating more business opportunities for the people from the three countries. Feasibility studies already undertaken show that the project once finalized will contribute between 2% to 3% of GDP to the economy.

Given the huge overall impact of the project that touches on different sectors such as tourism, livestock and mining industry, there is need that the government critically look into the technical and human capacities required for its successful implementation. In as much as the project will create thousands of jobs directly and indirectly, we must also acknowledge that the country is lacking in some of the key human capacities that will be required to drive the different sectors. More critical will be in the engineering sector required to construct the railway and lay the pipeline from Lamu to South Sudan. And with the discovery of oil in Turkana, we will also need a substantial number of petroleum experts in both mining and refining that will allow the country maximize on the profits from the oil sector. To gain from livestock production, the regions will need more animal production experts, breeders and allied technologies to open up livestock potential to local and international investors. This must start will training of more extension officers that will educate the pastoralists on effective animal husbandry and advise on existing markets for their animals and animal products. Investors in the tourism industry on the other hand must take advantage of expected transport corridor in the region and establish hotels and resorts that will tap into the huge tourists potential that exist in the region.

Even as the governments plan to do all these, it must address the challenges of lack of social infrastructure such as housing, schools, hospitals, water and sanitation services, as well as electricity. There is a need to roll up programs that will change the community mindset and to deal will negative cultural issues of the pastoralist communities that have been impediments of socio-economic development for a long time. The community around the project needs to understand they would be the virst beneficieafies, and should demonstrate the sense of ownership.

It is commendable that the government have already set up the The Lamu Port-Southern Sudan–Ethiopia Transport Authority to spearhead development and realization of the project. It is vital that we develop effective strategies that will help ensure successful delivery of the mandate of the project. The Authority need to engage key stakeholders in the various sectors, communities and international partners to ensure that all constructive interests are taken on board and that the project delivers as per its objective within the laid down time lines. My appeal to community around LAPSSET is to look at the bigger picture and visualize how the project will transform the community and the countrys social and economic status positively. Transformational leadership is a must to realize this Big Vision.