500 billion shillings nuclear power plant for Kenya

adminelveza8 years ago2 years ago08 mins

A public participation forum on Nuclear Regulatory Bill 2018 was held at Nkoroi Catholic Church on 22 March 2019. The event was hosted by the National Assembly Energy Committee and led by the chairman Nakuru Town East MP, David Gikaria. The bill went through the first reading on December 4, 2018 and thereafter committed for public participation. Concerns were immediately raised by the members of the public who had not read or even seen the draft bill prior to the forum. The majority felt they needed the draft bill at least 7 days prior to the forum to be able to scrutinize it fully. The Nakuru Town East MP told the members of the public, that the bills are usually in the national assembly website for downloading. MP Gikaria however accepted, there was a failure in providing Kajiado North residents with the draft bill earlier enough. He apologized for the late issuance of the document and informed the members of the public that they have between 14 to 45 days to send their input to the parliamentary energy committee for consideration via the following email address: clerk@parliament.go.ke The objective and purpose of the Act as drafted in the bill is To regulate the safe, secure and peaceful development, production, possession, use storage, transport, transfer, disposal or handling of nuclear and radioactive materials, activities and facilities and other apparatus generating ionizing radiation. To protect persons, property and the environment in relation to nuclear and radioactive material, activities and facilities and other apparatus generating ionizing radiation. The bill proposes the establishment of a commission to be known as the Kenya Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and therefore replacing the Radiation Protection Board. The commission shall be allocated money by parliament for the purpose of the commission. The commission will also raise funds through loans, grants, or from donations. A system of control over radiation sources shall be established by the commission to ensure they are safely managed and safeguarded during and at the end of their useful lives. The commission shall be mandated to vet and issues licenses to any entity wishing to set up a nuclear facility in the country. Decommission Fund to Be Established A Decommissioning Fund administered by the commission shall be established to cater for decommissioning facilities that are either old or no longer functional. The fund will also be used to cater for the management of radioactive waste and spent fuel. The Commission shall issue an authorization to any person wishing to import or export nuclear materials or nuclear-related equipment and technology. All nuclear material shall be used exclusively for peaceful purposes. Manufacture of nuclear weapons and other nuclear-related explosive devices shall not be allowed in Kenya. Benefits of a Nuclear Power Plant The CEO of Kenya Nuclear Electricity Board Eng. Collins Juma said the idea behind building the nuclear power plant in Kenya is to reduce power cost. The Engineer confirmed uranium will be used to generate fuel to power the proposed nuclear power plant. He further claimed that South Korea is manufacturing goods because of cheap electricity produced through nuclear energy. He concluded by saying that the probability of a nuclear accident is very minimal and can be very dangerous if it happens. More Civic Education Needed Mr. Macharia who is a resident of Ongata Rongai said, civic education is needed to raise awareness and understanding of such bills. He proposed for such bills committed to public participation, be given to the members of the public early enough and not on the day of the forum. Former Kajiado Senator Paul Mositet asked how the commission intends to fund the proposed power plant? He claimed Kenya is not capable of managing a nuclear plant considering the high levels of corruption. The former Senator also claimed that South Africa has abandoned plans to increase nuclear plants from 2 to 9. He concluded by challenging local engineers to innovate and develop new cleaner energy sources in order to address our energy needs. Irene Kamau (Director – ACTION NOW KENYA) Said “there is very minimal awareness of the nuclear energy amongst the members of the public. There are safety concerns amongst members of the public in case of nuclear disaster, considering the high cases of negligence in Kenya. The project is a misplaced priority considering the high levels of poverty and even hunger in some parts of the country.” Mr. Gerrshon Kiara who is former PS said “Negativity, fear, and politicization of every development agenda is our downside as a country. Kenya should proceed and develop a nuclear power plant. If we borrow the best practices in the world, there is nothing to worry about. Corruption should not deter us from pursuing our development agenda as a country. We must fight corruption and at the same time pursue development.” Bishop Henry Omae said “Proper civic education needed a way in advance. Documents to be discussed should be shared with the members of the public at least 7 days in advance. The speed at which we are being rushed to pass the bill raises fears of possible brokerage. How will mining or importation of Uranium be handled? Kenyans must be convinced and given assurance for their safety.” Sophia Katampoi who is a resident of Oloolua ward and environmentalist said “Nuclear Energy is not bad but let us think about the policy before implementing. The energy parliamentary committee is pushing the bill a bit too fast raising concerns of the motive behind it.” Environmentalist Chris Muriithi said members of the public require more time to go through the bill. Germany is currently in the process of shutting down its nuclear power plants. Nuclear energy is good, but we should wait until 2050 considering our high levels of corruption. Shadrack Okenyu who is an opinion leader and resident of Ngong said “Nuclear energy is not a priority in Kenya. We should focus on other priorities such as feeding our population. Before proceeding with nuclear energy, we must be convinced that Kenya has exhausted…

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480 New Homes Proposed Project In Kerarapon

adminelveza8 years ago2 years ago05 mins

A meeting to discuss a proposed private development in Kerarapon, Oloolua Ward was held on 16th March 2019 at Deliverance Church in Embulbul. The proposed project which is facing resistance from some area residents will be developed in a 3 acres piece of land located along Kerarapon Drive. The project once completed will consist of 10 blocks each made up of thirteen storey (ground + 12 upper floors) residential building blocks and a commercial center. The total number of residential units will be 480. A total of 9 blocks will comprise 2 bedrooms and 1 block will comprise 3 bedrooms. The commercial block will comprise 4 shop units on the ground floor, 5 shop units plus food court on the first floor, gym and spa on the 2nd floor, and swimming pool, bar, kitchen, storerooms, water tanks on the roof and other auxiliary facilities. There will also be a mini-mall on the commercial building, tennis courts, play area, and a jogging track all around the development. Residents will get permanent membership but outsiders will also be allowed to use the facility. Playfields will be on the 1st floor. Each block will have 2 lifts to ascend to the 13th floor. The developer is also proposing to build a sewer treatment plant similar to the one which was installed at the 2 rivers mall. The facility will recycle the wastewater with excess water released to the river after being approved by kebs. To sustain the development energy needs, there will be 1000kba electricity power substation and generator in place. Kandom Property Point Limited which is behind the project is planning to build a massive underground water storage space under the basement. The developer will also drill several boreholes on site but they did not say exactly how many. Rainwater harvesting and tapping into the community water supply services will be considered, to supplement the required water needs once completed. The project is seeking approval from NEMA and the County Government for Architectural design and change of use from Agricultural to Commercial. The following Concerns and suggestions were raised by the residents Mr Kenneth Oigo who is a civil engineer said the project once completed and fully occupied may require approximately 40,000 Liters of water daily for domestic use. He said that the volume of water supply is not sustainable. The current water supply in Kerarapon is not enough even for the current population. The residents receive water once per week. Drilling of multiple boreholes may affect the water table downstream. The project is too high and along the flight path bringing safety concerns to airplanes. The residents requested the project developer to share details of approvals from KCAA (Kenya Civil Aviation Authority) the County Government of Kajiado or any other agency. Mr. Njoroge who was leading the presentation on behalf of the developer, confirmed they don’t have approvals from KCAA. The residents also requested the developer to seek approval from KENHA. A resident claimed the project may add an extra 1000 vehicles on the already congested Ngong Road traffic. In response, the project manager said they are in discussion with Kajiado County Government to find a solution. One of the suggested solutions is to develop the back road bordering vet farm. The residents responded by saying they know very well the road cannot be used and those plans will fail. The project manager suggested the developer may consider building a roundabout if allocated space by the County Government. Esther Githinji said the residents require a very clear and detailed plan, on how the developer intends to carry out the project in order to deliberate on what to do as a community. Mr. Mungai said it is clear the meeting was called as a plan B after the developer initial plan failed. He claimed a representative of the developer had visited their home, and attempted to trick a member of the family to sign a document without clear explanation. The residents present agreed the meeting is not a public participation forum but an awareness meeting to share information with the community. Mr. Kenneth Oigo claimed the majority of those present during the meeting were connected to the developers. He claimed approximately 90% of the residents were not present during the forum and therefore disqualifying the meeting as a valid public participation forum. The residents also claimed the area is zoned as a medium density area, which can carry only 3 storey buildings. Construction vehicles must not use Kerarapon Drive to prevent road damage, and must only use the back road. One of the residents who showed support for the project was Mr Nangurai . He said the project is a good investment for the community, and there is a probability all the units will not be occupied at once, and therefore the resident’s projections may be inaccurate.

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