The Student Engineer

The Student Engineer 1
CONTENTS
10.
06.
16.
15.
18.
News
WiFi for Matatus pg. 4
Emergency number revived pg. 6
Digital TV Signal pg. 6
Tech.
BRCK pg. 8
Passenger Lift mechanisms pg. 9
"Sharpened Axe" pg. 12
"Mechanical Whale" pg. 13
The Hyperloop project pg. 14
Why your computer is not safe pg. 16
Features
Broadband pg. 18
Electric roads pg. 19
Railway Development pg. 21
UoN Towers pg. 23
Electricity pg. 26
Foreign firms pg. 31
Developing Nairobi County pg. 33
Design
Land Rover Defender pg. 10
First Aid Kit pg. 15
ESA
Calendar pg. 48
ESA 360 pg. 49
ESA Profiles pg. 50
Social
Commentary
pg. 35 - pg. 47
The Student Engineer 3 2 The Student Engineer
Editor's Note
Copyright Student Engineer 2013 Reproduction of any article in part or full without permission fromThe Engineering Students Association is strictly prohibited
The Student Engineer
@StudentEng
CHAIRLADY'S MESSAGE
I
t is with great pleasure that i welcome you all to the August
-September issue of the Student Engineer and thank you
all for picking up a copy. The Student Engineer magazine
has grown a great deal as it continues to provide us with an
opportunity to draw enthusiastic discussions and thought
provoking debates.
First and foremost I would like to welcome the first years and
wish you all success in this illustrious field you have chosen.
I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the
students, who participated in a peaceful election as they
embarked on choosing new leaders of the ESA executive
committee. I welcome on board the new executive committee
members and the new editorial board and look forward to
working with you closely. I assure you that the team you voted
in is a capable and enthusiastic team dedicated to living up to
their promises.
This year, our core interest is the students and their needs. We
endeavor to bring the corporate world closer through planned
events. On our agenda of activities this year, we have planned an
Annual General Meeting to start us off as we seek to incorporate
you all in the plans of the year, garner ideas on the activities you
would like to see go through and those to be discarded, basically
making ESA more available to the students.
Secondly is the Annual dinner aimed at fostering relationships
between students as well as captains of industry in a fairly less
formal setting. It will provide an opportunity to interact and share
opinions on various successes and challenges of the profession.
It will also give companies the valuable opportunity to interact
with a talented pool of potential recruits.
Acknowledging how important our culture is to us, we plan to
have a cultural week to remind us about our roots and traditions.
We intend to invite a speaker to enlighten us on the importance
of our heritage and keeping our culture alive. This is a week that
will be topped off with a beauty pageant crowning, for the first
time, our very own MR. & MISS Engineering.
For our community Outreach programs this year, we have
planned a number of mentorship sessions to various high
schools, allowing us to share and encourage our younger
brothers and sisters. We also plan to clean and paint central
police in conjunction with BADILIQA.
The Career and Innovation week is a promising concept still in its
initial stages. It has been planned in order to enable corporations
to showcase new ideas and projects that are on the horizon
to students. It is aimed at offering mentorship to academia while
assisting talent acquisition to keep a talent repository from the best
interns for future needs of the company. It is also aimed at giving the
students themselves (especially those in their final year) a chance
to showcase their very own ideas and projects, obtain ideas and
creative criticism from professionals and narrow the gap between
university education and the needs of the job market.
This is just but a fraction of the activities we have planned for
you. We have also provided our proposed year plan calendar with
tentative dates of the events for your viewing.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our partners and
sponsors for all your support and encouragement. Finally I would
like to thank the university fraternity, the office of the Principal,
College of Architecture and Engineering, office of the Dean, School of
Engineering, Our patron and all who have assisted ESA in becoming
what it is today. Without you all our efforts would have been in vain.
We aspire not only to enhance the student growth but also to uphold
the university status and goals. God bless you all and have a fruitful
2013/2014 academic year.
N
ancy O
gechi
F
ive months into a new government and
the energy and general atmosphere in the
country is not only full of optimism, but also
great anticipation to see what the next few years will
be like.
Judging from the recent budget speech, those of us in
the engineering community have lots of reasons to be
excited about the current financial year. This is mainly
because a large chunk of the budgetary allocation
went to infrastructure development in almost all
sectors of the economy.
A few years ago , there were hardly any roads to be
proud of, mobile phones were almost exclusively a
preserve of the wealthy , Internet connections in the
country were at an all time low and the speeds were
just saddening ; all that changed when the previous
government, the private sector and the international
community decided to put in some significant
investments in developing infrastructure on a grand
scale,we are now gladly reaping the benefits of that
investment.
When infrastructure development is mentioned, most
of us automatically assume that we are referring to
roads and ICT infrastructure which are the most
prominent features of development. These form just
a small piece of the pie and in the subsequent issues
we will dive deeper into the theme of infrastructure
development and hopefully expose you to as many
other forms of these developments taking place in
the country.
From the fields of Education to Transport, Health,
Energy and ICT, from Finance and Economics to
Cultural infrastructure ,theres so much more to talk
about and your input will be highly valued.
It is on that note that we would like to thank all
our sponsors, partners, the student body and the
executive committee for all the support you have
directed our way, your advise,input and contributions
have been invaluable and we are looking forward to a
great year ahead of us.
Enjoy your reading.
Editor-in-Chief - Tony Mugita Kadiegu
Managing Editor - Gabriel Etonga
Editors - Nicholas Muchui, Kennedy Kimani, Robert Abuya, Kevin Odongo
Design & Layout - Daniel Wakaba Ndungu
Photography - Zafran Manji
P.O Box 30197 - 00100, Nairobi KENYA
Tel: +254 721 399 401
Tony M
ugita
Wi-Fi for matatus
///// NEWS
S
afaricom LTD and the Matatu Owners
Association recently launched a public
transport initiative which is a game
changer and the first of its kind that offers free
wireless internet to commuters. Dubbed Vuma-
Online, the company aims to install modems on
over 200 PSV's by September 2013.
The Ksh 7 million initiative aimed at expanding
the company's data footprint in the country,
comes as a relief to commuters who spend too
much time in traffic buildups that they have
become accustomed to in the city a little bit
more productive.
The service is accessible through a Wi-Fi router
which PSV's owners can choose to pay for, or
have at no cost after subscribing to the service
for two months.
Pros and Cons.
The servi ce wi l l defi ni tel y attract more
customers to wi-fi enabled matatus as opposed
to ordinary ones making most long commutes
less grueling. However, on the flip side the
access to wi-fi in public transport might enable
individuals with sinister motives such as
muggers identify potential targets and either
pickpocket them during commutes or trail them
upon commuting.
Currently there are 300,000 Kenyans using
publi c transport dai ly and accordi ng to
the CCK Safaricom has command of over
72.6% of all mobile data connections among
telecommunications companies in the country
and mobile data subscriptions account for 99%
of the total internet connections in Kenya as of
December 2012 and this partnership with the
PSV sector is a perfect example of products and
services adapting to consumers lifestyles.
This initiative allows Safaricom to provide other
services such as how traffic is flowing and a
schedule of PSV's and this may potentially lead
to an increase in the uptake of smart-phones in
the country thus commuters will be purchasing
more bundles when their not commuting.
The tourism industry should also take a cue
from the Vuma-Online initiative because if
the ordinary citizens can access WI-fi in public
transport , its only a matter of time before taxi
operators and tour companies follow suit and
adopt this technology.
When tourists are on their safaris, they are
constantly taking photos and videos on their
smart-phones, then they are stuck with all that
information during their safaris because they
cannot simply upload and share this information
with their friends at home while they are on-
the-go.
The initiative can be a crucial tool for Kenya's
touri sm sector i n getti ng a competi ti ve
marketing advantage over other destinations
in the region simply because : our tourists will
market Kenya using the content they share on
social media and the videos posted on YouTube,
and they will brand ambassadors the entire time
they are in the country because we can keep
them connected the whole time.
For more information visit:
www.safaricom.co.ke
- Cost of a router
- Cost of an Internet bundle
- The number of 3G phones
on the Safaricom network
- being smart-phones
- Percentage of mobile data
connections in the country
among telecommunication
companies Safaricom has
command over.
- number of kenyans using
public transport daily.
- The total internet
connections in the country
accounted for by mobile
internet subscriptions.
Ksh 6000
Ksh 2000
Ksh 2.3 M
1.2 Million
300,000
99%
72.6%
STATS:
///// NEWS
Start a project
As engineering students, our minds are just a
hub of amazing ideas. But few of us go through
with these ideas. I'm sure some of us have been
able to conceive ideas that would be the 'next
big thing' but instead of seeing them to fruition
we let them dwindle and die. There are many
resources within the University of Nairobi that
can assist you with a project that you may want
to begin, FabLab Nairobi is one of them. We are
future engineers, therefore, innovate, design
and fabricate!
Apply for a competition or conference
These may either be local or international.
There are numerous competitions which are
aimed at students and some even give cash
rewards. Such opportunities can be found
on-line. The application process is quite
simple especially for conferences and if they
require travel, most are all-expense-paid trips.
Therefore, don't be afraid to try. I must admit
that you will get plenty of no's before you get
a single 'yes'. Such is not for the faint at heart.
It takes a lot of perseverance but if successful,
what you will be able to reap out of it will be
priceless in terms of experience.
Volunteer
During the weekends, most of us have some
free time on our hands. This time could be
spent volunteering somewhere. This doesn't
apply only to children's homes but there
are numerous places which are looking for
volunteers. Get on-line and begin the search.
Take a Course
Other than your eventual degree in engineering,
what other qualifications
do y ou hav e? T hi s
particular option may
not be for everyone. To
take a particular course
you should have a well
defined reason for taking
it as it should aid in you
in your future. Courses
i ncl ude, comput i ng,
language, design or any
other course that you
may be interested in whether or not it is within
your field.
Hobbies
When it comes to hobbies, most of our CVs
are filled with the same thing: reading, playing
sports, etc. But how seriously do you take
your hobbies? Just because we are engineers,
it doesn't mean that we can't be interested in
something outside our field. And that is where
most of us go wrong. Everything about us is
technical. Why not try not something different
like, photography, blogging, clothes designing,
etc.
Such diversity is what most employers
and graduate school scholarship applications
look for. Find your niche and run with it. Now
is the best time to be involved with any of
the above. All of us will be future engineers
but what makes you stand out from the rest?
H
ow much electricity
does the human
brai n produce?
The human brain requires
around 20 Joules per second
to operate, this is enough to
power a 20 watt light-bulb.
The generation of electricity
in the brain results from the
movement of ions (charged
atoms) through the brain.
Whats your Niche?
Kenyas Digital Tv
Analogue switch-off date set for December 2013
999
M
ost of us believe that the key to
success is just by getting good
grades. Well, think again. The key to
success after graduation isn't a question of how
smart you are but more of how diverse you are.
Yes, you may be topping the class and
you may even receive first- class honors but
you may be surprised that in future, your
boss may be that person we all know who
constantly sat at the back of the class and
never received a 'pass' in his/her five (or more)
years of studying engineering. But why is that?
Life in school isn't all about getting good
grades. But don't get me wrong, if you're able to
get those A's, then do so! But don't forget about
those other aspects that may not only bulk up
your CV but also teach you skills that you may
never receive in a classroom, for example:
Presentation skills
Academic writing and other formal
writing
Team work
Leadership skills
Social skills
Here are some activities that you may consider
if you would want to better yourself:
Join a Club
Going through the University Handbook that I
was given when I joined 1st year, I noticed that
the school has at least 150 registered students'
associations and clubs. These clubs include
academic, sports and youth clubs. Go through
each of them and join maybe one or two.
C
CK, Kenya Telephone Service providers and The National
Police Service had recently been given until July 31 2013
to work on reviving the toll-free emergency number 999, this
number surprisingly has not been in use for more than 20 years.
The issue came up after the high court judge David
Majanja gave an order to the CCK, Police, Yu, Safaricom,
Airtel and Orange-Telkom Kenya on the re-introduction
of the toll free emergency line; the order was given
in a case in which activist Okiyah Omtatah had sued
the Attorney General, the Inspector General of Police
and t he Communi cat i ons Commi ssi on of Kenya.
The l ack of an emer genc y r es pons e l i ne had
si gni fi cantl y undermi ned the countr y's abi l i t y to
respond to and handle disasters and is set to help
the police fight crime in the country in a major way.
22 lines have been allocated in Nairobi for a start, with
residents being encouraged to call for help only. Some
residents have been calling to ask irrelevant questions like
where can they eat or even get a lodging. Residents are
encouraged to respect the lines and call when necessary.
emergency number revived
T
he gover nment program has set
December 13 as the switch-off date
for the Nairobi region while the other parts
of the country will follow gradually as it
seeks to meet the global deadline of 2015.
The I CT mi ni str y through the Pri nci pal
Secretary Joseph Tiampati recently stated
that only 500,000 households in Nairobi
out of an esti mated 1,000,000 owni ng
televisions sets have acquired the gadgets,
commonly called set top boxes,these gadgets
convert analogue signals to digital form.
Digital tv encourages more local content
generation, and the switch is expected to
expand opportunities for investors in digital
terrestrial TV, broadcast mobile TV and
commercial wireless broadband services.
C o n s u me r s a r e a l s o e x p e c t e d t o
benef i t f rom cl earer pi ct ure qual i t y.
The switch-off dates for Mombasa, Malindi, Nyeri,
Meru, Kisumu, Webuye, Kisii, Nakuru and Eldoret
are set for March 2014, the remaining parts of
the country have until June 30, 2014 to comply.
The Consumer Federation of Kenya last
year successf ul l y
c h a l l e n g e d t h e
g o v e r n m e n t ' s
intention to switch
N a i r o b i f r o m
analogue to digital
b r o a d c a s t i n g
b y D e c e m b e r .
However, following
discussions with the
gover nment , t he
lobby group withdrew
the cour t case i n
exchange for a role
to steer the process.
MENTORSHIP \\\\\
by Marian Muthui
T
he Internet is increasingly becoming a
large part of our daily lives and even a
few hours in a day without connectivity
can be unbearable and in some cases could
significantly affect your productivity, enter
BRCK.
One of the easiest and most reliable ways to
connect to the Internet anywhere in the world
even when you do not have electricity.
Described as a rugged solution to the Internet
problems in most parts of Africa, BRCK offers a
reliable connection even in the remotest parts
of Kenya as long as you can access a mobile
network signal.
This simple device addresses the need for
reliable Internet connections in unpredictable
environments and was designed for the
changing way we connect to the Internet around
the world where we have multiple devices such
as smart-phones and tablets and we are always
on the move.
BRCK works just like a smart-phone when trying
to find the best connection , it intelligently
switches between an Ethernet connection, Wi-
Fi and 3G connections from your Sim-card so as
to find the fastest and most stable connection
thus providing a failsafe to Internet connectivity
in almost any situation.
Its key features include:
A battery that can last 8 hours
Simultaneously supports upto 20
devices.
Strong Wi-fi that can cover multiple
rooms.
8 GPIO's to connect sensors
Software allowing apps, remote
management and data collection.
BRCK's resilient battery additionally stabilizes
to protect components from burning whenever
electricity surges or goes off.
The infused software allows it to store data
in the cloud with the integration of software
such as Dropbox and it also integrates remote
management via a virtual private network.
The BRCK connects to the BRCK Cloud ,which
is a website you can access from anywhere to
check how network connections and electricity
are performing on your device.
The team responsible for this ground breaking
product includes Juliana Rotich, Eric Hersman,
David Kobia, Reg Orton and Philip Walton;
together they have re-designed technology that
has been around for years and made it work for
their needs in Kenya, and if it can work in Africa
it can work anywhere in the world.
For more information visit:
www.brck.com / www.ushahidi.com
Stats:
1078 - Number of people who've backed
the project on Kickstarter.
USD 172,107 - Amount raised on the
Kickstarter campaign.
USD 47,000 - Amount by which they
surpassed their target of USD 125,000
KSH 16,000 - Projected unit cost for a
single BRCK.
BRCK:
The Backup Generator for the Internet
///// TECHNOLOGY
G
iven an option, no one will ever
choose the backbreaking stairway
to the 19th floor of a building. It
will be awkward to seat behind your desk in
your office on a Monday morning with bits of
sweat on your face, tired from having climbed
all the way from the ground floor by a winding
stairway. Unless otherwise, most people
prefer to take the easiest and fastest means,
which in this case is definitely the elevator.
An elevator is a type of a carriage that can be
used to move either people or loads between
floors in a building. It is mostly categorized
as a vertical transport system. Most of these
vertical lifts are powered by electric motors
that drive traction cables. Other lifts operates
on a thread and screw mechanism. The elevator
mechanism dates back to medieval times. The
first elevator is attributed to Achimedes. The
jacking mechanism that he employed in his
pioneer lift was basically the thread and screw.
The driving mechanism employed evolved
with changing times, from steam driven lifts
to modern microprocessor controlled lifts.
The earliest lifts were directly controlled by an
operator. The operator would manually control
the lift and stop it at the desired floor level.
Just like in any other industry, cost cutting
measures provide the impetus for technological
advancement. To counter the ever increasing
demands of lift operators, microprocessor
controllers were introduced. Nowadays,
almost all lifts are entirely automated. This
represents a significant stride in this industry.
It is now a convention for every building
to be fitted with a lift as a substitute for
ramps. This ensures that the building is
accessible by physically challenged people.
Contemporary elevators have sophisticated
safety mechanisms. A buzzer alarm will ring in
case of overload. In such a scenario, the carriage
will stay put in that very floor until the load is
reduced. However, the traction cables might
snap in such a case. This may be catastrophic.
It is therefore necessary to take extra safety
measures in ensuring that the cables do not
snap. It is due to this that most cables used are
carefully selected and pretension tests done.
In the design of the lifts these cables are given
a high safety factor. This therefore means that
even once the buzzer alarm indicates that the
lift has reached its maximum weight capacity,
it is able to take in extra load without the chain
snapping. It is therefore no coincidence that free
fall accidents are extremely rare.
With all that said, it is never good
to l eave anythi ng to chance.
There exists a remote possibility
that the chain could snap. What
if you are caught in this mishap?
Lifts have a locking mechanism.
I n case the cabl e snaps the
carriage car drops at a lower than
free-fall speed. This mechanism
also reduces the speed of the
carriage car until it comes to a
standstill thus avoiding impact
upon reaching the ground. Other
than the locking mechanism,
there is a second layer of protection. Beneath
most lifts, on the bottom most floor, there are
hydraulic dumpers meant to dump the force on
impact experienced during such eventualities.
Most lifts have an outer door and an inner door.
The inner door is meant to prevent passengers
from falling into the shaft of the lift while the
outer door prevents would be passengers from
making an attempt to enter the lift when no
carriage car is available. If the outer door is
faul ty, thi s may resul t i n
serious fatalities. Ever heard
of someone attempting to
enter a lift only to find a
gaping hole? Such situations
arise when the outer door
is defective. It is therefore
important for elevator users
to exercise extra caution when
boarding elevators. What may
seem to be perfect may not
be working perfectly after all.
What if the cable snaps?
Demistifying the operation of Lifts
TECHNOLOGY \\\\\
by Alex Njira
by Wycliffe Musasio
///// DESIGN DESIGN \\\\\
I
t is this desire that birthed an icon and
fuelled the overland expeditions that
made the Land Rover Defender famous
all over the world.
The Defender has contributed to all our lives
in one way or another, through war and
peacetime; it has helped preserve the rarest
of animals from extinction, crossed deserts to
deliver food to starving populations, explored
inaccessible territories to help map the world,
built telecommunication networks and has
helped bring law and order to some of the most
hostile places in the world.
It has been claimed that the first car seen
by roughly 60% of the developing world's
population is the Land Rover. So it seems that
if the world were to end tomorrow, the only
things that would probably survive besides
Nokia phones and the obvious cockroaches
would be Land Rovers.
Amazingly, after about 5years of production
and an estimated 1.8 million cars down the line,
roughly 70 % of all the land rovers ever built
are still on the go up-to today.
Design History
In the year 1948, the Land Rover Series 1 began
its life with a single purpose, to give Britain a
vehicle that could compete with an American
World War 2 Jeep. At the time, the Jeep had
proven itself in World War 2 and a new civilian
based model was in the works, however, across
the Atlantic the Wilkes brothers were working
on an idea prompted by a fascination
with their jeep which proved to be very
handy in their farm.
Maurice Wilkes knew that the Jeep
would eventually break down and its
parts would be close to impossible to
find in England, the prospect of having
to live without his Jeep gave Wilkes an
Idea, why not build his own.
At the time, the war had devastated the
Rover Car company and raw materials
were being rationed, the Land Rover
designers thus had to substitute Steel for
the body-work using Aluminum because
they were not able to get enough steel. The
cars light-green paint was a hand me down
from the fighter plane builders.
The original land rover was conceived, designed
and built within one year and it was designed to
only be in production for two to three years so
as to bring in some cash flow and export orders
for the Rover Company so that it could restart
its up-market car production.
Initial Applications
The Series 1 was launched with a permanent
four wheel drive and with the capacity to work
as a:
Car
Tractor
Generator
Welder
Fire pump
Its bolt-on body and its separate chassis design
are still being used in today's Defender.
Land Rover then had to convince farmers
that their new vehicle could replace the horse
in their farms. The vehicle had an unlimited
capacity for hard work and soon enough there
was more demand for the land rover than they
could fill.
It became the best-friend to quite a lot of
farmers and was the vehicle of choice for the
military across the world.
The Land rover was a ground breaker and
along the way it spawned the Range Rover and
in doing so, it created a whole new class of car,
the SUV short for Sport Utility Vehicle.
The Land Rover was utterly classless and told
the world nothing about your wallet, your
aspirations or even your level of success. It was
said that in a Land Rover you could either work
the land, or you could own the land.
"In a Land Rover you could
either work the land or you could
own the land."
The Spirit of Adventure.
As the popularity of the Land rover grew,
another dimension broadened its demand,
the off-road possibilities of four wheel drive.
The land Rovers capabilities appealed to a
whole new class of automotive
enthusiasts, steadily veering
away from its farmland and
work horse image, owners began
using the vehicle for exploration
and recreational pursuits all over
the world.
The Land Rover became a
passport to adventure for millions
of off road enthusiasts, with its
menacing air of indestructibility.
It encouraged you to go to places
you would never consider under
normal circumstances. On the road,
the Defender would be described as rubbish
compared to SUV's ,but where there was no
road, you would not want to drive anything else
because normal SUV's would not even dare to
go to half the places the Defender has gone to.
Being able to venture off the paved highways
and forge your own path through the world can
be a very exhilarating experience and many
modern SUV's have re-ignited the explorers
spirit but very few have the history of the Land
Rover Defender.
Fast forward to the modern day defender...
Up to today Land Rover still build the defender
as the icon of the brand despite the minor
changes to the car's interior, it still has a bit of
a rustic feel to it. The engine upgrade brings
new levels of refinement and performance to
the Defender and the current design is in many
ways no different from the Series 1 that came
out in 1948.
For now we can rest assured that based on its
sound engineering, its rigid construction and
its iconic no frills design, the Defender will
definitely be around for a long time to come.
LAND ROVER
DEFENDER
Celebrating an Icon
Adventure: That burning desire to explore the
unknown, to venture where no human has gone
before, to be the frst to reach the peak and to cross
continents.
by Tony Mugita
///// TECHNOLOGY TECHNOLOGY \\\\\
T
hey say when given four hours to cut a tree we
should spend the first three hours sharpening the
axe. Well, that's a wise thought which basically
tells us to plan wisely before doing something which entails
picking the right tools, recruiting the 'perfect' team.What if
you don't have to sharpen the axe anymore?
Introducing the Trimble gatewing x100 which is a realization
of a sharpened axe. The gatewing x100 is an unmanned
aircraft system commonly referred to as drones driven by
its theme of safety and reduced costs which has found its
way in more than 20 applications in the engineering, built
and construction environment.
The x100 is an advanced in geospatial technology mostly
used in mapping and provides data for adjusting photo
stations, measure photogrammetric points, create 3d
clouds, create digital surface models and create digital
orthophotographs by the use of Trimbl e business centre
photogrammetric module. Well for a world of aerial
photography dominated by helicopters and manned
aircrafts the gate wing boosts of the following advantages.
The x100 is the Leading image acquisition quality and data
accuracy due to low flying heights and minimal vibrations
of the instrument. Compared to manned aircrafts its an
all-terrain and all-weather performance features. It has
Reverse thrust for precise landings in confined and remote
places. It is a Durable and a reliable solution for intensive
use.
Applications:
Quarry and open mine site surveying where its
used to take accurate volume measurements
known as 'toes and crests'.
In topographic surveying it serves as a perfect total
station,GNSS receiver or scanner where its used to
produce accurate orthophotos of gravel pits.
In civil engineering especially in road construction it has
been used to come up with digital elevation models with
fast calculation of cut and fill volumes.
Technology is advancing and the competition is much more
with new innovations each and everyday. The trimble x100 is
a realization of products which are cheaper and safer to work
with in the field. Perhaps in Kenya we should focus on using this
technologies as a way of cutting on the government and private
sectors spending on infrastructure.
Sharpened Axe
Mechanical Whale
The Trimble X100
S
ince time immemorial man has longed to
conquer the skies and fly like the birds.
The sight of the eagle gliding among
the clouds sparked everyone's imagination
and various legends such as Daedulus and his
son Icarus were born. The high heavens were
held in high regard and most religions believed
(and still do) that they served as the Creators
throne. After much study, experiment and hard
work, the invasion of this mysterious natural
roof began, thanks to Wilbur and Orville Wright.
Unknown to many peopl e and of ten
overlooked by historians, man has also always
been awed by the silent depths of the oceans.
To the marine biologist, the ocean was another
unique world filled with interesting flora and
fauna while to the writers it provided a great
background for literary masterpieces such
as the Nautilus. On the other hand, various
world navies saw it as a great camouflage
that would often ensure the element of
surprise . Due to all this, numerous attempts
were made to explore this dark world with
disastrous results, but finally engineers had
a breakthrough and the submarine was born.
A submarine is a vehicle that can be
submerged and navigated under water. It
is usually built for warfare but there are
some that have a variety of peaceful uses,
including tourism, exploration, oil and gas
platform inspections, and pipeline surveys.
Mode of operation
A submarine can be considered to be a
special type of ship because it is capable of
operating on and below the surface of the
sea. For it to float it must weigh less than the
volume of water it displaces and the converse
is true if it is to submerge. To achieve this feat,
a submarine uses its ballast tanks. These tanks
are filled with air when the submarine is on
the surface and when it wants to dive, water
is made to flood the tanks, squeezing air out
and ultimately increasing the density of the
vessel relative to the surrounding seawater.
Furthermore a pair of short wings on its back
(or stern) help in controlling the diving angle.
Appearance
Most submarines are streamlined to
reduce drag and noise. This ends up giving
them their characteristic teardrop shape. On
top of this cigar like hull is a raised tower called
the sail. It houses the periscope, electronics
and the snorkel masts. Military submarines
are covered with sound absorbing anechoic
plating to reduce the chances of detection.
Navigation
Due to its low water penetrating capacity,
light can not be used to navigate the submarine
through the expansive dark ocean. To find their
way in the sea, submarines use marine charts
and a wide array of sophisticated tools which
include:
The Global navigation System -When the
submarine is cruising on the surface, it
relies on GPS to pinpoint its location with
staggering levels of accuracy.
The inertial navigation system- when the
submarine is underwater, it tends to use
the autonomous INS. GPS is not used
because water attenuates the signals
considerably or reflects most of it.
In addition to the said two systems, a submarine
uses SONAR to identify other submarines and
water vessels within its vicinity.
Propulsion
Initially, submarines used diesel to power
their engines. This fuel was used to run the
propellers or charge a battery. However, the
sub had to resurface when running the diesel
engine or charging the battery. This proved to
be a great disadvantage for military subs. The
incorporation of an air pipe,(snorkel) reduced
the time the submarine spent at the surface but
was still an Achilles heel for the military sub
since it gave away the position of the vessel to
the enemy. To counter this, the nuclear reactor
was developed. This brought nuclear energy
to the arena and immensely revolutionized
submarine propulsion. In fact a nuclear
powered sub is considered as the only true
submersible vehicle in some quarters because
it can remain submerged for a long period of
time (read years) with the only limit being the
amount of food and supplies on-board and the
crew"s condition.
by Raphael Kimani
by Caleb Juma
"the kit has been designed to be
used with one hand so an injury
to the other hand can be treated
effectively, even if the accident
occurred while you were alone"
A
s we marvel at our latest achievements
in transport infrastructure we are
reminded of the long way we still
have to go. Indeed even in the more advanced
economies, the quest to save that extra hour
from a journey is still on. Until we come up with
a way to teleport from place to place, there will
always be room for improvement in the way we
travel. The latest proposal in this quest is the
Hyperloop.
Elon Musk is famous for making the
improbable reality: he brought the electric
car to the masses with the Tesla Model S, a
convenient way to pay for stuff on the internet
with Paypal and even commercial space
travel with SpaceX. One would think those
would be enough achievements for a 42 year
old man, but he clearly wants more. Now he
proposes a passenger transport system that
moves at over 1100 kph, cutting the journey
from San Francisco to Los Angeles from the
current two hour flight to just 30 minutes.
First proposed in July 2012, Hyperloop
has a set of incredible claims. It aims to ferry
passengers between the two cities at no fixed
schedule, travel at nearly the speed of sound,
be virtually accident-free all while running on
solar energy and costing a tenth of the cost of a
proposed bullet train. Wow! If this were not Mr.
Musk, the whole idea would have been laughed
off as just another case of wishful thinking.
However, upon closer examination there
are some ideas on just how this system could
work. Some very clever engineers have been
at work trying to guess what building the
mysteriously named Hyperloop could entail. The
first theory put forward was an evacuated tube
with passenger capsules which would be pushed
inside the tube with a blast of pressurized air.
The vacuum would reduce the air resistance
encountered by the capsule allowing it to reach
the required speed. It would however pose
some technological challenges: accelerating
pressurized air is not particularly energy
efficient, not to mention the friction between the
air and the walls of the tube. Also the evacuated
tube would never meet the stringent safety
requirements since the slightest prick in such
a tube would cause the most horrific crashes.
Mr. Musk has promised that Hyperloop cannot
crash and can be self-sufficient in energy.
It thus appears we need to look elsewhere.
Acoustic levitation
What we need is another way of efficiently
reducing air resistance. Recently, a research
group reported it had levitated arbitrarily
shaped obj ects i n acousti c waves. Thi s
technique involves an acoustic phenomenon
called standing waves; essentially waves that
are held in place by interference. If you imbue
these waves with enough power (volume) and
hit just the right frequency, you can levitate
an object. Standing waves, as the name
implies, don't move, but Bjorn Smedman
and Charles Alexander both theorize, if you
pump these waves into a loop (which we
assume the Hyperloop is), and change up the
acoustic parameters slightly, then it might
be possible to carry vehicles on the edge of
these waves as they travel around the loop.
By riding on the peak of a sound wave,
you only really have to deal with drag caused
by air density (linear), which is much less
than drag caused by air velocity (quadratic).
If you pump enough power into the acoustic
wave (i.e. increase the amplitude), the air
density increases but the relative air velocity
drops.In effect, the vehicle in the wave is
stationary, in reference to its surroundings.
In theory, this process is so efficient that
solar panels on top of the loop (a very large
surface area) can power the system. The
acoustic waves, traveling continuously around
the loop, would effectively act as energy storage.
Getting on and off Hyperloop
While acoustic waves neatly solve the
traveling-at-almost-the-speed-of-sound bit,
they don't explain how you would embark and
disembark from the Hyperloop. The best guess
at the moment is that there will be an extra
section at each end of the loop for managing
acceleration and deceleration. To board the
Hyperloop, you will hop into a carriage at the San
Francisco or Los Angeles terminus, and then be
accelerated up to speed using a railgun before
entering the main loop. At the other end, you
will be gently decelerated before disembarking.
This neatly ties in with Musk's comments that
the Hyperloop will be a "cross between a
Concorde and a railgun and an air hockey table."
Finally, we should note that there are other
ways of constructing a Hyperloop. It might turn
out that Musk was just trying to be coy, and that it
will actually be based on some kind of evacuated
tunnel design. Instead of a vacuum, the tunnel
could be flooded with a lighter (less-dense)
gas such as helium, which produces less drag.
Because there's still a pesky force called gravity
to overcome on Earth, he would still need a way
of defeating rolling resistance (friction between
the vehicle and the edges of the tunnel).
Magnetic levitation (maglev), which has been
extensively tested in Japan, might soon be ready
for commercial use and is the obvious solution.
It also isn't clear how any of the above
approaches "can never crash." In theory, if
you poke a hole in a Hyperloop full of acoustic
waves, the waves will very quickly dissipate and
the vehicle will come to a standstill. This will
probably happen very quickly, and probably
quite painfully for the occupants - especially
if you're going around a corner at the time.
Elon
Musk
The Hyperloop Project
Initial sketches of The Hyperloop
///// TECHNOLOGY
T
his brilliant concept for an at-home
fi rst-ai d ki t by a product desi gn
student at the Royal college of Arts
in London is a great improvement from the
glorified lunch boxes stuffed with medical
equipment that we pass for first aid kits.
It comes in a compact design that unfolds to
reveal an entire suit of salvos that not only gives
you the tools needed to treat cuts , scrapes
and burns, but also offfers guidance on how
to treat them and the best part about it , the
entire set is designed for use with just one hand.
Unlatch the clean white box and you
will notice distinct compartments dedicated
to burns, scratches and more serious cuts.
The simple design takes all the ambiguity
out of treatment by organizing the contents by
injury thus you do not need to spend time figuring
out how things work, the kit instructs you.
Another big improvement is that the
design takes you through a step by step
treatment of different types of injuries.
Opening the injury specific compartments
presents you with all the necessary tools
needed to address the issue at hand, each
seperated with its own discrete little tab
with instructions spelled out plain english
with clean color coded pictograms created
by graphic designer Nerijus Keblys , offering
at-a- gl ance di rect i ons al ong t he way.
"Standard first aid kits do not address how
they function in real life where they are often
used by someone who has no medical training",
states Gabriele Meldaikyte the designer of the kit.
She notes the lack of communication,
i nformati on and cl ari ty i n conventi onal
first aid boxes resulting in the lack of a
system. Her design brings abit of order to
the small amount of chaos that ensues after
an unexpected mishap that results in injury.
One handed use:
I n t h e e v e n t o f a mi s h a p , y o u
become the patient not the doctor thus
Meldaikyte made sure everything in her
kit would be operable by just one hand.
T h i s me a n t d e s i g n i n g s p e c i a l
t ool s i n cer t ai n cas es f or exampl e:
Spool ed bandage di spenser s t hat
l et you wrap i n a hurry and whi ch can
be sl i ced shor t wi t h a bui l t i n bl ade
i nstead of havi ng to resort to sci ssors.
She points out that after an injury you
become one handed in a much more literal
sense thus the kit has been designed to be
used with one hand so an injury to the other
hand can be treated effectively, even if the
accident occurred while you were alone.
First Aid Kit re-imagined
DESIGN \\\\\
by Tony Mugita
by Robert Abuya
16 The Student Engineer
///// TECHNOLOGY TECHNOLOGY \\\\\
I
t is a Sunday afternoon and there is not
much to be done but to keep rolling and
turning in bed. Theclock ticks 3pm, too bad
you've got to get up. Barely awake, you make for
the kitchen for a can of coke then you release
your 'stock' has dried up. Grudgingly,the fridge
door is slammed back. Youlurch back to your
bedroom, look outside your window; nothing
much is taking place apart from the Sunday
sunshine being so lovely.
You are tempted back into your dove t then
you notice your laptop lying hopelessly at
yournightstand.
The laptop is carried to bed,fired up but you
windows OS takes 30 seconds to log in courtesy
of that BOIS or is it BIOS? You opt to visit drive
D for a movie or a TV series, few seconds of
browsing through, you notice that your library
is outdated. Half heartedly,you switch to the
musicfolder, being an avid dance music fan you
play GET LUCK at the background, as you start
up the firefox browser.
Tomorrow being a Monday; you believe it is
professional to check up your e-mails. Apart
from theassignments and deadlines sent to
you by the manager,there is a mail for you
from the one Mr. Peter. You click on it then
notice a pdf(Portable Document Format)
download attached to it. Within the mail, is a
text reading "We are grateful that you did send
your application. kindly go through the pdf for
details".You get hesitant but excited, your palms
get soaky as your heart throttles up. "Which
job application?" is the question ringing in your
head. Finally you decide to click on the pdf
The file does not open up instead,the cursor
wanders aimlessly about your screen ,you try
to get a better hold of your mouse but all is in
vain! Like a scene from a horror movie, daft
punk stops playing,then - I know what you
did last summer - starts to play up. You get
up from bed then place the computer on you
study table. Suddenly, the cursor halts,good
heavens, you decide to move it with your touch
pad but it remains stagnant. Angrily, you decide
to reboot your laptop but there is no response
.In a desperate last attempt, you remove our
PC's battery from the base of the laptop and
wait for about 5 seconds.
Your heart beats up even faster as you connect
back your 6 cell battery while pressing hard
on the power button. The laptop boots then
logs into windows,the curse finally is under
your command. Phew. You now feel like Steven
Frayner 'Dynamo' after performing a levitation
trick. With a sigh,you fall onto your bed on your
back. But what you don't know is that...
That was a trojan attack, the trojan client in
your machine had successfully connected up
to the trojan server and the attacher was in
control of your PC from his machine. Just for
pun,he did turn on your webcam so that he
could get a good look at your distressed face.
He copied your folders and files to his machine
and grabbed your saved passwords . For your
information, he had already mapped out your
geographical location down to your house then
having nothing much to do he played up a
horror movie for you!
Such attacks will be commonplace as Internet
infrastructure keeps growing. The attacks would
take any form and nobody is safe not even the
attacker himself! In the world of computer
freaks, there is a common phrase that goes like
"there are two types of Internet users:those who
know that their machine has been broken into
and those that don't." RTFA should be added to
that saying. Future governments will have their
cyber-security kitty rival the budget allocation
on education because as computer networks
become more complex; more vulnerability
spring up, opening up more breadth and depth
for exploits.
The pioneer Internet developers did not feel
that security should be a priority when sharing
any information over a network .All that was
there for them was the need for connectivity
and more connectivity. Whatever the reason
they may try to bring up , we are all stuck in
murk. I think the Internet would be a secure
playground and less of a battlefield, if the whole
system would the redesigned from scratch, and
security be the core of such a system but who
is up to the task? Keeping in mind that the
greatest weakness of any computer system
is the human user!
WHY
SAFE
your Computer isnt
but...
Infrastructure
Development
Broadband
Roads
Railway
Electricity
UoN Towers
by Dickens Odhiambo
H
uman beings have an insatiable
need for i nformati on and over
the years people have gone out
of their way to come up with new means of
relaying it. Whereas the information relaying
techniques continue to grow in complexity
consumers are mainly interested in obtaining
information in the simplest possible way. In
order to achieve simplicity it is necessary to
take a plunge into the depths of complexity.
Kenya is no exception and the government
has a clearly defined broadband policy. This is
in cognizance of the fact that most Kenyans do
not have access to basic internet services. This
is not as a result of the unwillingness of the
market to change with the tide but as a result of
the underdevelopment of basic communication
infrastructure especially in rural areas. The
market is always willing to adapt to the best
technologies and nothing bears this out more
than the fact that individuals who felt that
payphones could suit all their communication
needs less than a decade ago now feel that the
mobile phone in its basic form is inadequate.
Broadband simply put refers to a means of
transmitting information of varied bandwidth
characteristics simultaneously over the same
transmission media. This provides for the
robust transmission of voice and data signals
simultaneously. Perhaps the most recent, and
probably the transmission media that is expected
to shake the Kenyan market, is the optical fiber.
A few i l l ustrati ons may expl ai n the
emergence of the optical fiber as a favorable
transmission technique. In communication, the
frequency spectrum that is available for use is
a crucial resource. Simply put, the frequency
spectrum is the superhighway over which
the vehicles (information) are carried. Just as
a wide road can support more vehicles, the
optical fiber, which has a greater bandwidth
than other transmission media can be used
to transmit a wider range of information.
As a case in point a single optical fiber can
support well over 90,000 television channels.
The internet has come with a number of
opportunities and challenges alike. Whereas
it has offered enormous revenue generating
opportunities for internet service providers it has
also left those without access to such services
way off the pack. That begs the question whether
more can be done to ensure that everyone
has access to affordable internet services
even when it does not make business sense.
J us t l i k e el ec t r i c i t y, br oadband
services are a necessity in our times. In
the information age knowledge is power.
These days the next business opportunity
is a click of a button away. Global stories
reverberate instantly over the World Wide Web.
With erratic internet connectivity in most
parts of the country save for major towns,
Kenya has still managed to position itself
as a business process outsourcing hub. This
has opened new opportunities not only for
adventurous job seekers but also for those keen
to add an extra penny in their pockets. At the
moment Kenya is in the same breath with other
trailblazers in the field of business process
outsourcing such as India. It does not take
rocket science to figure out the great strides
the country would take towards this front if
internet connectivity is improved countrywide.
The government's plan seeks to have all
primary and secondary schools connected to
the internet by 2017. Government services such
as licensing and passport issuance will soon be
automated. This would go a long way in sealing
corruption loopholes while at the same time
reducing the time taken in seeking these services.
There is no doubt that there is great
demand for improved internet services in Kenya.
Kenya with well over 2.4 million tweets in 2011
ranked second only to South Africa in Africa
with slightly over 5 million tweets during the
same year. It is worth noting that Nigeria, the
most populous nation in Africa, did slightly over
1.6 million tweets during the
same year several hundred
thousands shy of the tweets
by Kenyans. These figures go
a long way in illustrating the
great demand for internet
services amongst Kenyans
To be fully developed,
the supporting infrastructure
envisioned under Kenya's
national broadband plan is
expected to cost well over
250 billion Kenya shillings.
The government along with
internet service providers
i s expected to i nvest i n
developing the necessary
support infrastructure. Once
fully implemented the project
Broadband:
A Game Changer or a necessity?
continued on pg. 22....
S
cience and technology, like all original
creations of the human mind are
unpredictable and dynamic. When it
comes to technology, everything is just almost
possible. The transport field in particular has
experienced rather remarkable achievements
in this regard, from the early animal powered
means to the current automated ones.
Conventional transportation technologies
usually involve the use of fossil fuels for
vehicle propulsion. Rising fuel prices are
causing mainstream awareness and interest
in alternative transportation technology. Many
automobile companies are working hard to
develop more sustainable vehicles in order to
combat fuel costs and the harmful environmental
ef fects of petrol eum as a f uel source
Much has happened in the road transport
technology, from electric cars to driverless
cars. Driverless cars are guided by a system of
sensors and cameras and are seen as potentially
safer and more efficient than regular vehicles.
However, there has been an interesting
turn of events. Sci enti sts have star ted
concentrating on the road rather than the
gadget, which is the car. This has led to
the development of electric roads. This is a
relatively new technology spearheaded by a
team of scientists from Volvo. This is a shift
from the Road Powered electrical vehicle.

Road Powered electrical vehicle may be
defined as a transport capsule whose principal
means of locomotion is one or more electric
motors where the electric motors are powered
by an electrical supply provided either from
a battery ,usually on-board, or power source
typically remote, and connected directly via
conductive cables or magnetic inductive fields
Ac c or di ng t o Vol vo, t he f ut ur e
of t ranspor t at i on i sn' t dependent on
i mprovi ng thi s type of el ectri c vehi cl e
battery technology, but rather electrifying
the actual roads we're already driving on.
The electric road works by having two
power lines built directly into its surface. The
two power lines run along the road's entire
length. One is a positive pole, and the other
is used to return the current. The lines are
sectioned so that live current is only delivered
to a collector mounted at the rear of, or under,
the truck if an appropriate signal is detected
.A vehicle driving over it would need a current
collector that could pick up the charge from
the power lines, fueling the vehicle as it drives.
The Swedi sh-based aut omaker has
developed a method of road-to-vehicle electric
power that propels larger vehicles, like semis
and buses, through power lines built into the
road. The vehicle is equipped with a radio
emitter, which the road segments can sense.
When an electric vehicle passes a road segment
with a proper encrypted signal, then the road will
energize the segments that sense the vehicle.
Wi th thi s method, el ectri c vehi cl es
could be continuously supplied with power
without carrying large batteries. Currently,
long distances are especially challenging for
vehicles operating only on electric power.
An electri c road could allow even long-
distance trucks and buses to operate without
having to stop frequently and recharge.
The power line will be built in sections
and one section is only live as the truck
passes. Also, the power lines present some
safety concerns and would require a vehicle
to be traveling at least 37 miles per hour in
order to take advantage of the electricity
As much as it is interesting to see a fresh
take on electric mobility., the technology
still has a long journey ahead of it and many
an year remain before this is on our roads,
especially in third world countries. Uncertainties
however do exist, such as how the road would
perform in extreme weather conditions.
All in all, the electric road has the potential
to create a sustai nabl e transpor tati on
system .For this to happen however, we
must invest significantly in research NOW.
Electric roads
///// FEATURE FEATURE \\\\\
by Gabriel Etonga
by Ken Kimani
K
enya's vision to transform into a
newly industrializing middle income
country providing a high quality
of life to all its citizens by 2030 seems to be
well on course, judging from the recent mega
projects that the government has undertaken.
The infrastructure sector is in the spotlight
as the government ,companies and consumers
grapple with issues such as availability ,
condition, security of supply ,environmental
impact and most of all, affordability. This sector
is on a journey of major changes and I believe it
holds the key to the country's economic growth
as articulated in the country's vision 2030.
Some of the mega proj ects that the
government has undertaken include ,the
Nairobi-Thika highway which is already complete
and recently commissioned by the president
,the massive Ngong wind power project ,the 280
MW Olkaria power plant set for completion in
March next year ,and the Lake Turkana Wind
power project, to mention just but a few.
The Ethiopia Kenya Power interconnection
project is a project that will completely change
the face of the region's electricity transmission
network. This is not a new project since the idea
was conceived in 2006 when Ethiopia and Kenya
signed a memorandum of understanding that
agreed that a power system interconnection
between the systems of Ethiopia and Kenya
be established. However, it is not until this
September that Construction of power lines
between Ethiopia and Kenya is set to begin.
This megaproject set to cost a whopping
$1. 2-bi l l i on (102-bi l l i on shi l l i ng) and i s
financed by several agencies, the African
Development Bank, the World Bank and the
French Development Agency. The power line
will be 1,068-kilometre long and is expected
to be completed in September 2018.It will
provide Kenya with cheaper electricity from
Ethiopia's hydro-electricity dams. This is
because Ethiopia is endowed with a huge
hydro generation potential which is estimated
at approximately 45,000 MW. The Government
of Ethiopia intends to develop these resources
for domestic consumption and export and this
proposed line is to act as a major highway to
the southern countries such as Tanzania. The
enormous potential for electricity trade in the
Eastern Nile countries coupled with its socio-
economic and environmental benefits will
pioneer the idea of a regional power market and
enhance the East African Power Pool (EAPP).
The proposed transmission line right-of-
way (RoW) crosses from Ethiopia into Kenya
approximately 90 km West of Moyale town and
traverses Marsabit, Samburu, Isiolo, Laikipia,
Nyandarua and Nakuru. From Moyale the
transmission line route runs adjacent to the Great
North Highway (Marsabit - Moyale) in a southerly
direction avoiding Marsabit National Park. From
Marsabit area the route runs southwards at a
maximum distance of 500 m parallel to the
main Isiolo - Marsabit Highway to Laisamis.
At Laisamis Town the proposed RoW runs
close to the road as it enters Losai game
reserve keeping a range of about 400 m to
800 m off the road reserve then runs further
on to Merille where it diverts slightly westwards
running east of Matthews Range, 6 km east of
the Lololokwe Mountain peak. It then runs
through a stretch of fairly flat land covered
by thorny shrubs and bushes, and then turns
southwards to the Ngoborbit plateaus and
ridges dropping altitude down into Laikipia.
In Laikipia, the proposed RoW continues
through the extreme western section of Mpala
Ranch which is covered by scattered thickets
and bushes. Then it crosses Mutara River
into Ndaragwa. The line runs on top ridge of
Shamata and then sharply drops altitude to
the flat plains of Olobolossat, 3.7 kilometres
eastwards of Lake Ol Bolossat. It then traverses
the Olkalou Settlement Scheme and cuts across
Malewa River, climbing a steep hill then drops
altitude to the flat land of Marangishu (karati)
and on-wards to Kijabe after crossing the
Nakuru - Nairobi highways into plains east of Mt.
Longonot into the proposed Suswa Substation.
When complete, the project will greatly
lower the cost of electricity,which is quite high
at the moment and also improve Kenyans access
to electricity ,which was a low 16% in 2009.
The Eastern Africa Interconnector
(Ethiopia - Kenya highway)
Railway Development Plans
E
conomic and social prosperity of any
country depends greatly on the ease
of mobility of its major factors of
production. The ease the movement should be in
such a manner that the cost is not compromised.
These are the costs that indicate the overall
appropriateness of a country in doing business
and hence inflow of direct foreign investment.
The cost of doing business in Kenya has
not been attractive at all to investors in the
past 20 years. Statistics show that Kenya
is the most costly place to set up business,
yet the returns may not be as high. This has
led to massive capital flight and skipping
of Kenya as an investment destination of
choice in Africa. The government has for
many years believed that it can overshadow
this by offering lucrative tax incentives.
However, a report by the World Bank shows
that investors are more concerned with basic
infrastructure and security, than the traditional
tax holidays, which deny the government in
the excess of KSh 100 billion in tax revenue.
The government plan to impose 1.5% tax
on all imports as the railway development
levy is an absolutely necessary pain. In this
plan, the government intends to raise over
20 billion to supplement the 22 billion already
set aside in the current year budget. Last
year, Kenya imported Sh1.374 trillion worth
of goods from various parts of the world.
With a general average re-export level of 10
per cent, the levy could have fetched Sh18.6
billion if the government applied it last year.
The railway line, which is to be built
according to Chinese railway design standards,
will carry freight trains at speeds of up to 80
kilometers per hour, and passenger trains at
up to 120 kilometers per hour. This will greatly
ease movement for people and cargo from the
port of Mombasa. The railway line will built
from Mombasa to Malaba in Kenya, to Kampala
and end in Kigali Rwanda. This is aimed at
lowering the cost of transporting goods from
the coastal port to Kampala from a massive
KSh 140,000 per container to KSh 30,000.
What's more, since it will be run by a company
that the Kenyan government has control in,
the government will be in a better position to
control inflation through regulation of charges.
Also in the government plan under the
railway development is the Nairobi railway
commuter system. Under thi s pl an, the
government plans to construct 28 new railway
stations in Nairobi and its environs. It will include
new railway lines to replace the depilated ones,
new coaches and world-class ticketing system.
Syokimau and makadara stations are already
complete. The remaining 26 will be completed
in two years, according to Deputy President
William Ruto. When completed, residents of
Nairobi will save a lot on commuter charges.
This will have an overall effect of lowering the
cost of living for the people and hence reduce
pressure on the employers to increase salaries.
In developed countries, over 80% of the
cargo is transported via railway. In addition, the
railway commuter systems in those countries
are well developed, completely eradicating
the small public transport vehicles from major
town centers. In Kenya, less that 20% of the
inland cargo is transported via railway. Last
year, rift valley railways transported 900,000
metric tons of cargo a drop from 1.2 million
in the previous year. This represents only
a fraction of the total cargo transported in
Kenya. Cabinet secretary for transport and
infrastructure Eng. Michael Kamau recently
expressed dissatisfaction with the way rift
valley railways was handling its operations,
as the data shows decline in operations.
Development of a standard gauge railway
line will save the economy billions annually in
road maintenance. Every year, the government
spends a substantial amount in maintaining
major highways that have been destroyed by
heavy trucks. A high speed and efficient railway
transport will reduce the number of trucks by
at least 60% once completed. This will mean
longer life to the major transport corridors.
The savings from this will go a long way in
developing other smaller roads in agricultural
areas so as to ease transport in those areas.
All these capital investment projects do not
require foreign partners in terms of funding for
them to be implemented. In an interview, Eng.
Michael Kamau said that what is required was
funding from commercial banks as the systems
put in place to raise these funds are short and
medium term. These are excellent plans that will
put Kenya ahead in business competitiveness.
by Gilbert Gitonga
by Ken Kimani
22 The Student Engineer The Student Engineer 23
J
omo Kenyatta International Airport,
is Kenya's largest aviation facility, and
the busiest airport in East and Central
Africa and it forms the hub of air transport
within the region. It is the sixth-busiest
airport in Africa. The airport is the main hub
of Kenya Airways, JetLink Express and Fly540.
Opened in 1978 by Kenya's founding
father Jomo Kenyatta, the airport was built
to accommodate 2 million passengers. Today,
nearly 7 million passengers are arriving,
departing, and transiting in Nairobi, and
the capacity constraints have cost Kenya
dearly as more airlines than ever before
wish to fly to Nairobi but find themselves
restricted by the lack of suitable slot times,
aircraft parking , enough air bridges, lack
of office space and overcrowded terminals.
The airport is served by a single Runway
and one terminal building constructed in
the 1970s. With the number of passengers
increasing yearly, there is a lot of congestion
thus the government has come up with a
project to construct a second runway. The
second runway project has been repeatedly
delayed under the last government, mainly
due to theatrics and gimmicks by former
transport minister, who kept meddling with
the board of the Kenya Airport Authority. The
former minister got unduly involved in many
aspects of the procurement and contracts.
Due to these delays, Kenya Airways has
developed a proposal to help build the new
Terminal 4 unit at JKIA. The construction
wi l l cost an esti mated 10 bi l l i on Kenya
shillings and adjoining the present semi-
circular terminal building housing units 1,
2, and 3. The terminal will bring temporary
rel i ef to JKI A unti l the new Greenfi el d
mega terminal opens in a few years' time.
T he new C a bi ne t S e c r e t a r y f or
I nf rastructure and Transpor t , Mi chael
Kamau, was swift, however, in clearing the
mess left behind by his predecessor and
got the project back on track after sacking
the former ministers oversight committee
and giving the KAA board and management
the green light to proceed with due haste.
The project is estimated to commence this
year to meet the target of the new Greenfield
Terminal coming on line by the financial
year 2016/17. The cost will be over US$650
million at current prices, and completion,
once ground is finally broken and will take
at least 3 years. The new facilities will
no doubt unleash the full potential of traffic
growth, which by 2020 will see three times
as many passengers compared to this year.
Most i mportant for Kenya's avi ati on
industry is the expected effect of the airport
expansion for national airline Kenya Airways
which is looking at tripling their fleet by 2021.
Their strategic plan 'Mawingu' talks of 115
destinations by that year, compared to just over
60 now, clearly hinging their own expansion on
the timely completion of the second runway and
new mega terminal, to which Kenya Airways
and partner airlines will move when it is ready.
The new government of President Uhuru
Kenyatta has earmarked tourism and trade
as key components to achieve a double digit
economic growth and aviation has been
recognized as a cornerstone in this equation,
for shipping cargo in and out of Kenya and to
receive more and more visitors from abroad to
generate the projected 3 million arrivals by 2015.

is expected to cut internet costs while at the
same time offering reliable internet services.
The big question is whether such an
investment will have a noticeable impact
in the lives of Kenyans. Access to fast
and reliable internet services will expose
i nt ernet users t o more i nformat i on.
If well managed, this information will
sow t he seeds needed t o t ransform
Kenya to a knowledge based economy.
Everything must be done to ensure
that this plan remains on track. In order to
ensure that the end users enjoy affordable
broadband services, meaningful partnerships
need to be struck between internet service
providers. A few years ago the mobile
phone epitomized the great bounds that
technology could transcend and low speed
internet services were acceptable. However,
going into the future reliable internet
services will not only be a game changer
for Kenya but will also be a necessity.
....continued from pg. 20
Second runway project
underway at JKIA
T
he University of Nairobi is currently
undertaking a major construction
of a 22-storey building at the Main
campus to accommodate increasing academic
activities and administrative services. The
ground breaking ceremony was held at the
construction site at the Main Campus and
presided over by top management led by the
Chancellor DR. Joseph Wanjui. The building
will have 21 floors with learning facilities to
accommodate 3000 students and house the
following facilities: the Vice-Chancellor's Suite,
All the Deputy Vice-Chancellor's Suites, Senate
Boardroom, Council Meeting Room, one lecture
theatres of 500 persons, four lecture theatres
of 300 persons, and several lecture rooms to
cater for a minimum of 60 persons, a floor
for the Graduate School and a floor for the
Graduate School of Business. It will also have
a helipad. The project will be financed mainly
by internally generated funds and donations.
Leading businessman and philanthropist
Manu Chandaria has pledged KSh 125 million.
The University aims to develop a visionary
state-of-the-art tower block leading the way
in ecologically sustainable design in its Main
Campus. It is envisaged that the Tower will not
only provide the much-needed teaching space
but also assert and affirm the position of the
University of Nairobi as the leader of architectural
thought, innovation and champion towards the
provision of environmentally friendly-solutions.
The proposed building will be situated in the
open space between the Gandhi Building and
Education Building, just adjacent to the Norfolk
Fairmont Hotel and Kenya National Theatre.
The Uni versi ty of Nai robi i s seeki ng to
construct an ecologically sustainable building
to house the top university administrators and
several teaching facilities. The building will
be world class particularly in its aesthetics
and its environmental design considerations.
It is expected to meet stringent carbon
foot print criteria achieving close to 100%
carbon neutrality. The new building will
meet the indicated spatial requirements and
demonstrate leadership in the development of
a holistic green environment and must attain
the highest green rating standards globally.
The building will also demonstrate a new
approach to workplace design and create a
model for others to learn world-class acoustic
treatment.
The building will enhance the quality of outdoor
space and the balance between indoor and
outdoor Spaces. The University of Nairobi Towers
is expected to be an inspiring and attractive
showcase of 'green' buildings and once realized,
the final facility should attain signature status
in all aspects of cutting-edge architecture. The
facility will be a place where users shall be
proud to undertake world-class scholarly work,
receive global leaders, scholars, the private
sector, as well as other prominent guests.
In the recent past, leading public universities
have undertaken multi-million infrastructural
projects aimed at easing congestion in the
learning institutions. Kenyatta University
has been on the frontline in this, putting up
state-of-art hostel blocks, lecture rooms,
a world class library and a student Centre
complex that is unrivaled in the region.
Currently, the university is seeking an investor
in its 1billion hostel plan that was advertised
through international tender. The project will
be on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) model
where the investor will construct the hostel
and collect rent for 15 to 20 years before
handing the building back to the university.
The University of Nairobi towers, whose
construction is being undertaken by China
Hu Yi , i s expected to be the l andmark
for academi c i nsti tuti ons i n the regi on.
UON Towers
The Chandaria University of Nairobi Towers
by Bonaventure Kabiru
by Konji Davis
///// ADVERTORIAL
I
ntergraphGeospatial 2013WorldTour, Kenya
Oakar Ser vi ces i s Eastern Af ri ca's
leading Geographic Information System
(GIS) & Remote Sensing (RS) consulting firm
helping to deliver spatial technology for high-
performing businesses. Working from a central
office in Nairobi's Upper Hill, Oakar Services
operates in the Eastern Africa region through
a business partner network. Oakar Services
sustains active engagement with a number
of organizations in the wider geospatial
technology marketplace including Universities,
Professional Associations and the Private Sector.
Intergraph was founded in 1969 as M&S
Computing, Inc, and set out to solve one of the
most difficult problems of the time - how to put a
man on the Moon. The group assisted NASA and
the US Army in developing systems that would
apply digital computing to real-time missile
guidance. Intergraph is now the leading global
provider of engineering and geospatial software
that enables customers to visualise complex
data. Intergraph is part of Hexagon (Nordic
exchange: HEXA B), a leading global provider
of design, measurement, and visualisation
technologies that enable customers to design,
measure and position objects, and process and
present data. Intergraph's industry-specific
software helps to organise vast amounts
of data in a way that makes processes and
infrastructures better, safer, and smarter.
Oakar Servi ces Ltd i n par tnershi p wi th
Intergraph held an event dubbed "Intergraph
Geospatial 2013 World Tour Kenya" at the Sarova
Panafric Hotel on 24th May, 2013. The event
attracted over 80 participants drawn from the
geospatial technology marketplace and other
related fields. Technical as it was, the event
was highly informative in terms of the latest
developments in GIS, Photogrammetry, Remote
Sensing and Web Applications. The event was
part of the greater plan by Intergraph to visit
various parts of the world to showcase the latest
advances brought about by the introduction
of the Intergraph 2013 Geospatial portfolio.
The Chief Guest at the event was Mr. Dean
McCormick, Intergraph's Regional Manager in
charge of the Middle East and Africa (MEA), who
gave the keynote address. In his address, he
highlighted the general objectives of the tour
including relaying various themes that are part
of the portfolio such as:
Powerful point cloud data production
and exploitation;
Dynamic Modelling and exploitation
of geospatial content;
A modern and dynamic GIS platform
for the future; and
Unified geospatial server for all
enterprise needs.
The Managing Director of Oakar Services Ltd,
Mr. Eric Nyadimo, and technical personnel
from his Company, made various presentations
emphasizing what is new with the Intergraph
geospatial solutions. The event involved
an overview of ERDAS Imagine and live
software demonstrations on the applications
of the Intergraph 2013 Geospatial portfolio.
The Intergraph 2013 Geospatial portfolio
presents the ful l coordi nati on of both
ERDAS and Geomedi a product fami l i es
within a single product suite. The portfolio,
in simple terms, can be said to be tailored
to maximize efficiency and productivity in
geospatial analysis through streamlined
workflows and expanded functionality while
ensuring the simplification and consistency
in product delivery and licensing across
the portfolio. The components highlighted
included: ERDAS Imagine, ERDAS Apollo, Leica
Photogrammetry Suite (LPS) and Geomedia.
ERDAS Imagine Suite has three product levels:
Essentials, Advantage and Professional.
Essentials allows for low-cost entry level image
processing, map creation and simple feature
collection tools and different types of geographic
data can be combined with imagery and quickly
organized for projects. Advantage provides a
complete set of tools for mosaicking, surface
interpolation, advanced Image interpretation
and ortho-rectification. Professional adds on
the capabilities for complex image analysis,
radar analysis and advanced classification tools.
ERDAS APOLLO is a comprehensive data
management, analysis and delivery system
enabling an organization to describe, catalog,
search, di scover, process and securel y
di ssemi nate massi ve vol umes of data.
IMAGINE Spatial Modeler as part of the
portfolio incorporates Geomedia Vector
and Grid Operators while including Python
Scripting and at the same time providing
real-time preview for dynamic modelling.
GeoMedia is an open, extensible geospatial
environment for natively accessing, displaying,
editing and analyzing data from various sources
and formats. It is based on industry standards
such as Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC)
and ISO, and uses de-facto standards such
as Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server and PostGIS.
Leica Photogrammetry Suite (LPS) is a powerful
photogrammetry system that delivers full
analytical triangulation, the generation of
digital terrain models, orthophoto production,
mosai cki ng, and 3D feature extracti on.
This technology expo paved way for further
exploration by Kenyan professionals, researchers
and students alike towards making a real
impact on infrastructure planning and resource
management. The question that remains is
whether we are ready to be in sync with this
moment of technological transformation for
the best results in the geospatial arena. Such
readiness of resolve was also reiterated by
the master of ceremony saying, "If taking a
man to the moon was a great achievement,
then bringing him back to do a better job
on Earth is the greatest achievement."
Integraph Geospatial World Tour, Kenya
D
ri vi ng i nto Nai robi at ni ght
one gets dazzled by the night
lights that bring the city to
life. This is one of the benefits
of i mprovements i n energy generati on,
distribution and transmission in Kenya yet
behind these magnificent lights one may
get obscured from the grim reality that
well over 50% of Kenyans have no access to
electricity. On the one hand, this is a stark
reminder of the long way Kenya has to go as
far as electricity provision is concerned. On
the other hand, it manifests the opportunities
that may be tapped into to bridge the demand
gap i n the Kenyan el ectri ci ty i ndustr y.
It is no overstatement that Kenya is a
regional economic power house. Kenyan
manufacturers produce goods that are exported
to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Southern Sudan,
Tanzania and Ethiopia. However, since the cost
of electricity is one of the major production costs
and Kenyan manufacturers as well as electricity
consumers bear the brunt of exceptionally
high electricity costs, electricity cost reduction
must be a major priority of the government.
A number of government funded as
wel l as pri vate i nvestor funded energy
generation projects are underway. This is
unarguably one of the benefits of liberalizing
the energy producti on sector i n Kenya.
However, Kenya does not generate sufficient
electricity to meet her energy demand.
By 2030, Kenya will need well over 15,000
MW of power. Under Kenya Vision 2030,
Kenya's electricity demands are meant to be
met by tapping into new energy sources. Key
among this is geothermal power. Towards this
front the Kenya Electricity and Generating
Company (KENGEN) has laid renewed emphasis
on generation of geothermal power. This has
asserted Kenya's position as the epitome
of geothermal energy generation in Africa.
When choosing to generate electricity, a
key consideration in selecting a given source of
energy is the cost of generating a standard unit of
power from the chosen energy source. KENGEN,
the largest power producer in the country, has
hydro, thermal, geothermal and to a lesser
extent wind power plants. KENGEN presently
generates a total of 1237.4 MW of electricity.
Out of this, 811.9 MW of the power produced
which makes up roughly 65% of their total
energy production is from hydro power plants.
Some of their key hydro power plants are Gitaru
Hydro Power Plant, Kamburu Hydro Power
Plant, Kiambere Hydro Power Plant and Turkwell
Hydro Power Plant just to name a few. KENGEN
has a total of 14 hydroelectric power plants.
Geothermal power accounts for about 157
MW which adds up to about 13% of KENGEN's
current total electricity generation capacity.
Olkaria I and Olkaria II Geothermal Power
Plants are fully operational. Olkaria III and
Olkaria IV Power Plants are currently under
construction and once complete are expected
to push the amount of geothermal energy
harnessed by KENGEN to about 280 MW.
Thermal power is power that is generated
from fossil fuels. At current operational
levels, KENGEN, which has a gas and diesel
plant in Kipevu as well as a gas turbine in
Nairobi's South C generates 193.5 MW of
thermal power. This makes up for close
to 16% of i ts total energy producti on.
The Ngong Wind Power Plant, the only
one of its kind in the country and also owned
by KENGEN generates 5.45 MW of electricity
which makes up for under 1% of KENGEN's
electricity generation capacity. However,
this power plant offers an insight into how
green energy can be harnessed in Kenya.
Independent power producers generate the
remaining power that makes up the total 1500
MW of electricity currently generated in Kenya.
Several factors have informed the ways in
which electricity is generated in Kenya. Hydro
power plants were initially developed because of
the existence of rivers across which dams could
be easily constructed. However, erratic rainfall
patterns made hydroelectric power generation
unreliable. The droughts of the year 2000 that
led to massive power rationing bear testimony
to this fact. Occasionally, thermal power, which
is more expensive, is used to bridge the supply
gap that results from erratic weather patterns.
It is an open secret that the demand for
electricity in Kenya by far outstrips supply.
Plans to import 400 MW from Ethiopia upon
completion of their Grand Renaissance Dam
project that is expected to generate electricity in
the region of 6,000 MW are complete. The Kenya
Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO)
is already undertaking works that will lead to
the establishment of a 400 KV high voltage
transmission line that will run from Ethiopia
through Moyale to feed Kenya's national grid.
Focus must not be lost on other ongoing
projects. Beneath our crust across the Rift
Valley i s an abundant supply of energy
trapped beneath the earth's crust. Thi s
informs the vigor with which projects aimed
at harnessing geothermal power are going
on like never before around the country.
Other than KENGEN, the Geothermal
Development Corporation (GDC), a state
corporation mandated to exploit geothermal
energy resources for the production of electricity
is setting up plants across the Rift Valley.
GDC has identified 17 viable sites for
the generation of geothermal power. One
of their plants in Menengai has approached
completion. The other plants are spread out
from Lake Baringo, Suswa, Naivasha all the
way to Magadi. Adding these sites to those
already up and running under KENGEN as
well as their Olkaria III and Olkaria IV projects
Kenya is bound to experience new electricity
injection from geothermal energy sources.
Geothermal energy has l ess carbon
emissions as compared to energy from thermal
sources. It is also cheaper than thermal energy
and more reliable than hydroelectric power.
However, in order for it to be fully harnessed the
country needs to produce qualified engineers
and technicians at a rate that is in tandem with
the exploitation of energy from this source.
Although the projects that are currently
ongoing in the power generation sector in Kenya
are a move in the right direction, steps need to
be taken to address the high cost of electricity
in Kenya. It is also important to make more
people, especially those in rural and informal
settlements, enjoy the luxury of walking into
homes that are lit by electricity. Initiatives
taken by the Rural Electrification Authority
(REA) in electrifying rural areas represent a
significant stride. However, we should always
remain alive to the reality that the amount
of electricity generated sets the upper limit
on the amount that can be di stri buted.
Electricity: Staying on track
by Gabriel Etonga
UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI
Vision
A world class university committed to scholarly
excellence
Mission
To provide quality university education and
training and to embody the aspirations of
the Kenyan people and the global com-
munity through creation, preservation,
integration, transmission, and utilization
of knowledge.
FACT FILE
Student Population 62,000
Staf 5500
Research fund Kshs 3 B
Alumni 146,000
Courses 517
International links Over 400
0 Centre for Biotechnology & Bioinformatics
0 O p e n a n d D i s t a n c e e-Learning Centre
0 Faculty of Arts
0 Faculty of Agriculture
0 Fa c u l t y o f Veter i n a ry Medicine
0 Institute of Anthropology, African and Gender Studies
0 Institute for Development Studies
0 Institute of Diplomacy and International Studies
0 Institute of Nuclear Science
0 Institute for Climate Change and Adaptation
0 Institute for Tropical and Infectious Diseases
0 Population Studies Research Institute
0 Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies
0 School of Mathematics
0 School of Computing and Informatics
0 School of Biological Sciences
0 School of Physical Sciences
0 School of the Arts and Design
0 S c h o o l o f t h e B u i l t Environment
0 School of Engineering
0 School of Business
0 School of Economics
0 School of Journalism and Mass Communication
0 School of Law
0 School of Continuing & Distance Education
0 School of Education
0 School of Dental Sciences
0 School of Medicine
0 School of Nursing Sciences
0 School of Pharmacy
0 School of Public Health
Contact:
P.O Box 30197,00100 - Nairobi | Tel: +254-020-318262 Ext: 263 | Fax; +254-020-245566
email: pr@uonbi.ac.ke
www.uonbi.ac.ke
UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI
Faculties, Schools, Institutes
and Centres.
I
nfrastructure as best understood refers
to the basic systems and general services
that are necessary for a country or a given
organizations for usage and consumption.
Infrastructure therefore form the backbone
of any given system or organization that is
looking far beyond the usual success. While
infrastructure can be discussed in a broader
depth, it goes without saying that transport and
mobile telephony remain the must harvested
in order to realize the services accrued from
other sectors in the whole infrastructural set
up. It is on this basis that Kisumu seeks to rise
on its feet after a long period of dormancy.
Kisumu city, the second largest city after
the capital Nairobi, lying along the equator
is located in the western part of the country
and forms a major outlet to Kenya's immediate
trade partners in the trading block - Uganda
and Tanzania. Steadily bathing its sides in the
great waters of L. Victoria, the city opens a
wider market for the products of its habitats
to the East Africa community. The continued
growth and development of this used to
be town lies squarely on the current level
of infrastructural development in the city.
The construction of the Nairobi - Kisumu
hi ghway commi ssi oned by the coal i ti on
government five years ago is at long last coming
to fruition. Boasting the highest population
density in the western block added to being the
administrative headquarter of the then Nyanza
province, the city acts as a ready market for the
produce from its surrounding. The road upon
its completion will therefore aid farmers and
business men alike in delivering there produce
to the factories and to the market in at the right
time. Sugarcane farmers occupying the vast
Kano plains including Awasi, Ahero, MUhoroni,
and chemelil region can now afford a smile due
the construction of proper feeder roads that
would help reduce wastage as a result of tracks
failing to collect their canes due to poor roads.
While devolution has placed the immediate
gains from the development plans of any given
region in the hands of the county government,
the benefits that the whole country's stands to
enjoy from the same cannot be ignored. The
Nairobi - Kisumu highway for example provides a
faster and an alternative way to the neighboring
Museveni land. This means increased trade and
improved ease of flow of goods and utilities
between the two states. This would improve
the ties between the two states even as Kenya
seeks to reap more from the duties charged
on the goods being delivered to Uganda.
The completion of the international airport
in this capital equally, has not only given
Kisumu city a new face but it has also given
the city's residence a reason to claim a sense
of belonging. The Airport or pau ndege as it
is known the Kogony' residence has opened
the city to the outside world. Far from creating
employment to the immediate residence, it
enables the small scale sunflower farmers
around the region to easily ship their produce;
additionally, the constant mammoth of heads
using the city's outlet has widened the market.
The development and growth of hotel industry
can only further serve to show how far the city
has come. Gone are the days that the lake had
to bear the burden of serving as the communal
bathing trough, instead today L. Victoria sits
as great scenery save the hyacinth menace.
Known for its highly charged political
temperatures, the city enjoys a fairly good
security set up that most part of the country is
deprived. This, a motivation for investors only
works to better the city's market. As a result,
there has been emergence and erection of
industries as witnessed by the establishment
of mattress manufacturing company around
Buoye and Kibos sugar factory in Mamboleo.
While provision of quality services still
remain a challenge not only to Kisumu but
also to other major cities , it is the desire to
improve that will make this city a must land-
in choice in time to come . A city formerly
known due to her inhabitants, Kisumu city
can proclaim the city in the name due to
the great strides that it has made. The black
gold in the basket has found a face thanks
to improved and developing infrastructure.
The city in Kisumu can dream again.
The New Kisumu
S
ince the start of Thika superhighway
constructi on i n 2008, Kenya has
witnessed a high influx of foreign firms
in the building, construction and in energy
sector. Foreign firms have won multi-billion
tenders both from the government and private
sector. Other than the commonly known Thika
highway that was done by three firms, all
foreign, other notable project being undertaken
by foreign firms include the 82.5 billion
geothermal development in the Menengai
crater that will be undertaken by fifteen foreign
firms and one local firm, the LAPSET project,
wind power project in northern Kenya as well
as UoN towers and Hazina Towers by NSSF.
The invasion of the Kenyan construction
industry in particular is of great concern
by the local firms. Local firms have been
unable to compete for tenders with their
Chi nese counterparts. Some argue that
policies are needed to protect domestic
f i rms f rom compet i t i on, whi l e ot her s
argue t hat t he f orces of f ree market
should be left to decide who wins a tender.
The truth of the matter is that local
firms should be more competitive, not by
being protected by the government but by
restructuring their operations and how they
deliver their services. Free market rules demand
that the best in price and other provisions
should carry the day. Also, competition is the
only justification for progression. Therefore,
local firms should reconsider on how they
approach their tendering process and review
their profit margins that keep them competitive.
The quality of constructions from local
firms was highly questionable in the recent
past. Collapse of buildings under construction
has greatly eroded faith people had on the local
contractors. If the companies have to redeem
themselves and remain top of the game,
quality of work should never be compromised.
They should apply highest standards of
professionalism when undertaking projects
and adhere to standards. In fact, a building
that has been well designed and proper
materials selected cannot come down, unless
under an act of God. This has been made
worse by the infiltration of quarks into the
industry. The provisions of the Engineers Act of
2011 are very clear and spell heavy penalties
to such individuals and their employers.
Whereas there are adequate personnel
in the construction industry, some areas lack
adequate local expertise to undertake some
projects, notably the energy sector. The Kenyan
energy demand has been soaring exponentially,
and government has responded by investing
heavily on geothermal, wind, solar and thermal.
In addition, the government in the process of
developing nuclear energy and its expected to
start producing power from the same by 2022. All
these are areas that very few, if any, local firms
can undertake. Local firms, the government
and the academic institutions should embark
on serious capacity building in these critical and
lucrative areas. In addition, local firms should be
well equipped with technology and machinery
to undertake such projects. This is one critical
requirement that no firm can win a tender
without it. In foreign countries, especially in
china, japan and Europe, engineering firm
invest heavily on technology and capacity
building. This keeps the ahead of the pack,
and in any case, they are in a better position
to provide better services and at a lower price.
It is interesting that very few engineering
companies are listed in the stock exchange.
Cash flow problems have grounded many
firms and very little finances are allocated
to research, capacity building and upgrading
of equipment. This has the overall effect of
relegating Kenyan firms to sub-contracting and
provision of auxiliary services in engineering
projects. to deal with this problems, the
established firms should consider diversifying
their financing options, especially, the long term
sources of financing. Listing on the stock market
will give them enough capital for investment.
The advantage in this option is that it does not
require immediate repayment as in the case of
loans and debentures. The shareholders become
part of the owners of the company, and can be
called upon to inject more cash in periods of
financial turbulence. This will give our local firms
adequate financial muscles that will enable
them compete both locally and internationally.
Onc e l oc a l f i r ms hav e a t t a i ned
unquestionable degree of quality in service
delivery and timely completion of major
projects, the government should have a clear
policy on how it awards tenders that have
been bid by both local and international firms.
The government should consider not tying up
projects to the country that funded the project.
The government has been awarding Chinese
firms heavy contracts primarily because their
parent government and banks offer loans to
fund those projects. in future, when the local
firms have fully enhanced their capacity, the
government should make sure that the tendering
process is free from such preferential treatment,
and make playing ground level for everyone.
Foreign frms:
A lesson for Kenyan contractors
by Chris Okello by Nicholas Muchui
///// FEATURE IEK \\\\\
O
il and gas has finally become a
reality in Kenya. Since Tullow Oil
announce discovery of substantial
oil deposits in Kenya, the country has turned
into a beehive of activity in exploration for
the commodity. There are clear and positive
indications that the country could soon join the
league of oil producing countries in the world
in less than a decade. In line to these interests,
Upstream Oil &Gas Ltd, a leading consulting
firm in the upstream activities in the oil and
gas sector hosted business leaders in the oil
and gas sector for a consultative forum at
the Norfolk Hotel in Nairobi on 31st July 2013.
The aim of this forum was to introduce ICT
players into the oil sector and expose them
to various opportunities that exist in oil
and gas industry. Upstream activities are
data intensive, including exploration and
actual exploitation. This calls for a need to
incorporate ICT in the upstream activities.
Kenya companies stands to benefit greatly
from the petroleum industry if they align
themselves adequately with the industry.
Issues of capacity building emerged as the
main challenges during the meeting as well
as stiff competition from the established
multinational players. It was however noted that
they can shield off the competition by getting
into partnerships with the global leaders.
Joe Watson Gakuo Chief Executive Officer,
Upstream Oil & Gas Group who was the main
sponsor of the forum noted that the industry
is very capital intensive and millions of dollars
have been pumped into the various projects
across the country. Therefore, the industry
requires highest levels of professionalism
and competence from all players including
the ICT sector. He noted that Kenyans are an
entrepreneurial lot and will throw in cash where
they think they can get back a good return within
reasonable time, and thus the need to think of
how we can participate in this productive sector.
Kenyans are an entrepreneurial lot and will
throw in cash where they think they can
get back a good return within reasonable
time, and thus we need to think of how we
can participate in this productive sector.
Kenyan citizens will benefit from oil and gas
wealth through production-sharing formula
already enshrined in oil and gas production-
sharing agreements (PSAs), which give the
exchequer as much as 50 per cent of oil and
gas production. But it is the other fraction
owned by investors that we are interested in.
PSAs provide for the national oil company to
participate in what they call "carried interest"
(currently up to 10 per cent) in equity when
oil and gas companies start production. The
minister for Energy some time back hinted
to this figure going up to 25 per cent. This
carried interest will require to be funded
when production starts, and this is how
private investors can enter the oil and gas
arena through the National Oil Company by
way of equity participation through an IPO.
It would be no different from how Kenyans
participated in funding power generation and
distribution through KenGen and Kenya Power.
The Nati onal Oi l Company has i ts own
allocation of blocks awaiting exploration
and, hopefully, eventual development should
they discover commercial hydrocarbons.
Apart from equity participation through the
National Oil Company, Kenyan entrepreneurs
can go straight into the real business and form
companies that can float shares. In Tanzania,
Swala Oil and Gas (Tanzania) Limited was
floated on Dar Stock Exchange in February
2013 with a 35 per cent local shareholding
and 65 per cent ownership by the Swala
Energy Limited of Australia. The Tanzanian
company is currently selling shares not only to
Tanzanians but also to outsiders. The company
has already been allocated two exploration
blocks in the Pangani and Kilosa basins.
Upstream oil and gas business is all about
sharing and spreading risks and partnerships are
the norm. This is the reason why as soon as the
smaller independent explorers discover oil, they
seek to partner with larger oil companies who
are well capitalized and with wider technology
to enter the next stage of oil and gas production
development. Therefore, at this particular point
in time when Kenya and Uganda are preparing
to get into the next step of development, it is
crucial for Kenya firms to seek partnership with
the foreign firms so as to get a share of the cake.
Upstream oil and gas forum
K
enya Urban Roads Authority
(Kura) the authority charged with
managing urban roads is seeking
Sh10 billion for construction and
repair of damaged roads in estates around
Nairobi. It costs about Sh50 million to construct
one kilometer of a standard road.
Besides the effort to maintain the networks that
exist, the government is currently undertaking
the development of Nairobi Bypass Projects
meant to decongest the city and boost trade.
There are also missing link roads around the
city, which are under construction.
Missing links
A study by Kura and Japan i nvestment
cooperation Agency {JICA} between 2004 and
2006 discovered 16 missing link roads, four
of which are complete, 10 under construction
currently and 2 not yet started.
The missing links include the roads from
Ki l el eshwa Pol i ce Stati on to Westl ands
Roundabout designated as Missing Link 3 and
measuring about 1.7km, from Oloitoktok road to
Kileleshwa police station designated as Missing
Link 6 and 2.85km in length and Missing Link
7 which is between James Gichuru Road and
Ngong Road with a distance of 3.75km. These
missing links are complete.
The missing link roads, identified and prioritized
through Nairobi Urban Transport Master Plan
connect Waiyaki Way at Westlands roundabout,
Lantana Road and Riverside drive to Ngong
Road through Mandera Road.
Missing link 7 joins Gitanga Road at Valley
Arcade and James Gichuru Road, Yaya Centre
and Ngong Road. Part of it includes a 2.85km
stretch connecting Mandera Road to Ole Odume
Road at Mazeras Junction.
These constructions are being implemented
through the flagship project under the Enablers
and Macro Sector of the Kenya Vision 2030 and
will be completed on August 15 2013.
Developing Nairobi County:
Road Infrastructure
The scope of the project is to construct two
way two lane roads, set segregated cycle
tracks, construct pedestrian walkways, install
street lighting and traffic signals, landscape and
plant trees, fix Portal culverts and storm water
drainage facilities.
A report by KURA indicates that the contractor,
Nippo Corporation of Japan, has undertaken
most of the works on these projects.
Bypasses
The bypass projects are under Kenya National
Highway Authority and will comprise northern
bypass to link Limuru road to Thika Road,
eastern bypass to link Mombasa road to Ruiru in
Kiambu and southern bypass to run from Kikuyu
to Mombasa road via Ngong road & Langata
The 70km-Northern and Eastern bypasses are
almost complete {Eastern 39 and Northern 31},
with construction of the biggest interchange in
the country at the City Cabanas flyover section
having resumed.
The construction of the 17.2 billion shillings
southern bypass is in progress and the work
currently stands above 23 percent. The bypass
covering 28.6 kilometers dual carriageway, is to
be completed in July 2015, and will ease traffic
congestion in Nairobi Central Business District
by up to 40%.
Upgrading of Upper Hill Roads Phase 1
The Constructions of Upper Hill Roads is
currently in progress and it is expected to
be completed by 22nd May, 2014. The roads
measuring 5.4km include; Hospital Road, Elgon
Road, Kilimanjaro Road, Bunyala Road, Mara
Road and Upper Hill Roads and a section of
Ole Sangale. This will be the Phase one of the
expected overhaul of roads infrastructure in the
Upper Hill area.
The cont ract awarded t o m/s Matt an
Contractors Ltd started in 23rd May, 2012 at
the Cost of Kshs.2Billion. The Government under
Development Fund will fund the project.
The Contractor has excavated top soils, filled
several layers of the base and has started
preparing for tarmacking in sections like in
Elgon Road.
The scopes of the works include the construction
of 2 way 2 lane (7 meters each) road with a
median separator, setting cycle tracks and
footpaths, making drainage structures and
installing street lighting
by Kenya Engineer Magazine by Anthony Mate
///// IEK
Upper Hill has experienced unprecedented
construction of high-rise buildings with
banks and other Institutions relocating their
Headquarters there. These efforts to improve
the infrastructure will go immensely improve
the accessibility to this area.
The second phase
This will include the re-construction and
upgrading of Chyulu, Menengai, Mawenzi,
Masaba, Kiambere, section of Ole Sangale,
Karuri Gakure, Missing Links 1,2 and 3, parts of
Hospital, Mara, Upper Hill and Lower Hill Roads
measuring approximately 13km.
Relocation of services, heavy traffic and
unfavorable weather conditions have been a
challenge in the works around upper hill this far.
1st Phase or roads construction in Eastleigh
The company, Northern Construction at the sum
of Kshs. 173million undertakes Eastleigh 2nd
Avenue road construction. The works started
in 28 October 2011.
The scope of the works is strengthening of the
existing bituminous lanes with asphalt concrete
overlay or Cabro blocks on carriageway,
construction of footpaths on either side of the
road, setting up street lighting and storm water
drainage
Cabro blocks are placed in parts of the
carriageway susceptible to sewer spillage
during the rainy season to avoid damage that
sewer water cause to the roads. It is notable
that Eastleigh is experiencing acute stress in
services due to increased Development that is
not commensurate to the facilities like sewer
line leading to overflow at slight downpour.
Apart from narrow sewage system, Eastleigh
is also facing a major problem of garbage
disposal.
Under Vision 2030, the Government has
identified Eastleigh as a future Business and
Commercial hub while Upper Hill as the financial
hub of the East African Region. It is intended
that these upgrades of the Roads will spur
economic activity and decongest the Nairobi
Central Business District (NCBD) while attracting
investment.
Other roads under construction in this area
include General Waruinge and Ist Eastleigh
Avenue. These link this part of the city to Juja
Road and Outer Ring Roads as well as City
Centre. They are currently under construction
by H. Young & Company Ltd at a cost of
KShs.252Million and expected to be completed
in August this year.
Under Vision 2030, the Government has
identified Eastleigh as a future Business and
Commercial hub and Upper Hill as the Financial
Hub of the East African Region. It is intended
that these upgrades will spur economic activity
and decongest the Nairobi Central Business
District (NCBD) while attracting investment.
Rehabilitation of Rose Avenue, Kilimani
Nairobi
Rehabilitation of Rose Avenue Road was awarded
to triple K & I Construction Company Limited at
the cost of Kshs.44.5 million and commenced
in December 2012. They are to be complete by
end of June, 2013. The 0.7-kilometer road starts
at Denis Pritt Road and ends in Jabavu Road.
In as much as works is in progress, the
adverse rainy conditions experienced between
December and April, traffic flow, water and
sewerage leakages, encroachments on the road
corridors and delay in relocation of electricity
poles has been a great challenge to the project.
So far, road base, culvert and drainage works
are still pending, with these constituting a large
percentage of the project.
The city residents and visitors are assured of
better existence once these road infrastructure
works are completed. What good riddance to
the notorious traffic jams and a way to reduce
accidents along the busy roads! It could also be
a way to change the driving culture to a walking
one with good walking and cycling lanes.
Social Commentary
Drug Abuse
Contemporary Engineer
Mentorship
The Asian Tigers
Style Watch
ESA
Local and
Continental
Fiber Optic
Cable network
///// INFORGRAPH
///// MENTORSHIP MENTORSHIP \\\\\
D
rug use and abuse i s as old as
mankind itself. Wine was used at
least from the time of the early
Egyptians; narcotics from 4000 B.C.; and
medicinal use of Marijuana has been dated to
2737 B.C. in China. As early as 2737 B.C., the
mystical Emperor Shen Neng of China was
prescribing marijuana tea for the treatment of
gout, rheumatism, malaria and, oddly enough,
poor memory. The drug's popularity as a
medicine spread throughout Asia, the Middle
East and down the eastern coast of Africa, and
certain Hindu sects used marijuana for religious
purposes and stress relief. Ancient physicians
prescribed marijuana for everything from
pain relief to earache to childbirth. Doctors
also warned against overuse of marijuana,
believing that too much consumption caused
impotence, blindness and "seeing devils."
But not until the 19th century A.D. was the
active substances in the drugs extracted. There
followed a time when some of these newly
discovered substances-morphine, laudanum,
cocaine were completely unregulated and
prescribed freely by physicians for a wide
variety of ailments. With alcohol, it is likely the
first drug to have its potency increased through
the discovery of distillation. The strongest
naturally occurring alcohol preparation was
homemade wine, in which the alcohol level
could reach a high of about 14-16 % by volume.
Distillation of the alcohol into spirits such as
rum, rye, scotch, gin or vodka, can double
its potency. The distillation process later was
improved, allowing for over-proof spirits
and absolute alcohol (100% by volume). By
inference, in the more potent product,
less alcohol volume was required to
generate the desirable effect. Alcohol
represents mankind's overwhelming
desire to enhance the potency of the
preparati on to be used or abused.
The probl em of drug abuse i s
so real especially in institutions of
higher learning and I feel there is a
great need to highlight the effects of
some of most commonly abused drugs
especially among engineering students.
Marijuana is one of the most famous
drugs in the streets. It goes my many
names. It is usually made into a hand-
rolled cigarette and then smoked. There
have been newer ways of consuming
it as it is baked into dough to make
cookies as well as cakes. For people
smoking it, the physical sell off of their
use may include red eyes, dry mouth and
throat, and they may have an increased
appet i t e, par t i cul arl y for snacks.
Mentally, they are likely to appear
relaxed and euphoric and their time and
space perceptions may be inaccurate.
They may seem sedated and drowsy.
They may have trouble learning and
remembering things and be unable
to concentrate. Sights, sounds and
tastes may seem more vivid to them.
Traces of marijuana stay in the body
for several days after use. If a person
has been using marijuana heavily, it
sometimes takes weeks for the traces
to be eliminated from the body. No
one has ever been known to die of
marijuana overdose. However there
are serious effects of overdose of THC.
THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) is
the chemical present in cannabis that is
responsible for addiction. High doses of
THC have been shown to result in mental
confusion, panic attacks and hallucination.
For students, Marijuana use affects
thei r abi l i t y to pay attenti on and
remember what one has learned. In
particular, what is damaged is the ability
to do complex tasks that require that
one focus and concentrate while handling a lot of
information. Difficulty thinking and problem-solving
have also been noted. The National Household Survey
on Drug Abuse in America noted that students with
lower grades were far more likely to use marijuana
that students with good grades but is it not clear if
marijuana was involved in causing those lower grades.
According to the 2011 World Drug Report, cannabis
products can produce temporary symptoms of
psychosis, loss of ability to learn or remember recent
events, reduced ability to carry out certain mental
tasks, make certain decisions and pay attention.
There is a growing body of evidence that suggests
that a person who starts using cannabis early and
uses is heavily could run an increased risk of psychotic
disorders. Yes one can go mad. Physically, marijuana
smokers have risks similar to those of smokers:
bronchitis, emphysema, asthma. Extensive use can
cause suppression of the immune system and can
increase the risk of cancer to the head, neck and lungs.
Drug
Abuse
P
rogress has been characterized by
significant changes to the ways in
which mundane tasks are carried out.
From the days of Ivan Pavlov to Albert Einstein,
from social-cultural to science, nothing has
been left to chance. Everyone wants to stay
relevant in their field of specialization hence
seizing any opportunity that crops up from left,
right or center. The ongoing transformation has
left engineers in the limbo, thus the need to
evolve and remain relevant to current times.
Contemporary engineers
have made a wide leap in the
engi neeri ng i ndust r y. They
have manufactured superi or
materials with advanced qualities
to help meet the ever changing
societal needs. Many materials
with high strength to weight ratio
have been mass-produced. Talk of
the polymer reinforced composites,
carbon reinforced composites and
other titanium-based materials. Steel
has been replaced by Kevlar where
necessary thus making things tougher
and l i ghter. Mi crochi ps have been
developed, energy has been obtained at
molecular and atomic level and many other
fascinating engineering scenarios have been
accomplished. Sophisticated mechanisms
are employed to surmount the rising huddles.
The cont emporar y engi neer has
to juggle amongst culture, society, the
mat eri al needs and t he safet y of hi s
customers in order to remain relevant in
the given society. They have to constantly
evolve and repackage themselves to suit the
dynamic needs of the growing population.
Sophi sti cated communi cati on tool s
and i nformati on equi pment have been
developed. Telecommunication has evolved
from the 20th century to the 21st century.
Mobile phones have been developed. Even
before wi red communi cati on coul d be
fully understood wireless communication
technologies were developed. Progress is
the norm in this field and moving forward,
more ground breaking data transmission
technologies will continue to be developed.
The Contemporary Engineer
The worrying trends in the population
poses great hurdles to engineers. As it stands,
china, India and Indonesia are some of the
most populous countries in the world with
respective populations of 1158.2, 873 and 190
million people, with most of the population
residing in urban centers. This calls for
multifaceted and ingenious but light structures
to accommodate the entire population. The
little available space has to be put into good
and productive use. With the limited space,
engineers have resorted to maximize on space,
by building structures upward. The Taipei 101
is a good example. Oceans and seas have also
been reclaimed. The Dutch engineers did their
best by reclaiming Holland. The baj al Arab, the
iconic airport in Japan and the palm island are
among the complex structures that have been
constructed on man-made islands. The engineer
is currently and constantly looking for space
to build so as to avert the population growth
In actual sense, the contemporary engineer
is under constant pressure and need to compete
with Mother Nature, and in most cases, to
overcome the impending tragedies posed by the
furious Mother Nature. Tsunamis, earthquakes,
hurricanes and global warming are the key
issues posing challenges to today's engineer.
These put the engineers in the workshops
inventing new structures that can withstand
the forces of nature. Constant tests are done
on the materials before being deployed to the
field as safe and certified for construction.
Faster means of transport have to be
found to make the world a global village. Major
steps have to be made in the travel industry.
Faster means of transport, supersonic air
transport have to be made, talk of reinventing
the concord version of the plane. Indeed the
concord technology, with its swiftness, has
to be employed in the latest kings of the air
such as airbus and the kinds of Boeing 787.
Tramway and TGV have so far been made to
aid in transportation and mobility. This has
made the contemporary engineer to endure
straining kinematics and dynamics of the
modern generation. Other urbane means
of transport have to be invented. Supercars
and high-speed intercity high-ways with a
higher factor of safety have been constructed.
The autobahn in Germany is one of the
engineering marvels in the transport sector.
by Wycliffe Musasio
by Paul Mbijiwe
The
Corner-stone
that built a
Tiger
COMMENTARY \\\\\ ///// MENTORSHIP
I
t so happens that, every year, students
are pi cked by the j oi nt admi ssi ons
board to study di fferent courses i n
public universities. It also happens that in
most cases these students have little or no
information on what these fields entail or the
opportunities that come with studying them.
This happens because in most high schools
in Kenya, more emphasis is made on passing
KCSE, the university entry test and not on
nurturing proactive minds into choosing
career paths that they are well conversant
with, and where they are more likely to perform.
This unfortunate state of affairs can be
blamed for the poor performance in the
different fields. The students have been reduced
to think that passing of exams is the only way
to climb the ladder of success. This has seen
the students develop desperate traits that they
believe would assist them pass the crucial exams.
On 20th May, 2013, the University of
Nairobi admitted freshmen to the different
colleges and that make up the institution.
A good number were admitted to study
electrical engineering; yet a paltry number
really know what they are really studying or
where they'll end up at the end of their study.
Firstly, we need to understand what
engineering is. Engineering is the application
of sci enti fi c, economi c, soci al and/ or
practical knowledge in order to design, build
and maintain structures, machines, devices,
systems, materi al s and/ or processes.
Electricity remains one of the most useful
inventions of man. From the simple experiments
of Thomas Edison, that helped design and
create the first electrical transmission and
lighting systems of the world in 1882, lighting
up the pearl street, Manhattan, new York
through a DC electrical supply of 110 V, to the
new sophisticated electrical and electronic
systems of the world, the field has seen a big
growth and creation of new career paths. The
electronics field has become very dynamic
from the invention of simple discrete electronic
components such as diodes, through the
integration of millions of such components onto
a single silicon chip to the microprocessors of
today; the field has seen unbelievable growth.
Closer home, we marvel at the growth
from a diesel generator acquired by the sultan
of Zanzibar in 1875 to light his palace and
neighbouring streets, through the creation of
the Kenya Power and Lighting Company, to
the now wide field of electrical and electronic
engineering. Graduates in the field either
end up working in heavy current fields that
involve production, distribution, storage or
use of electricity or work in the light current
field that involve specifically storage and use
of electric power. The heavy current field
include generation of electricity companies
such as Kenya power generating company
(kengen) and the distribution companies such
as Kenya Power. The light current industries
include the telecommunication industry, mass
communication industry, information technology
and other el ectroni cs based i ndustri es.
El ect r i cal engi neer i ng deal s wi t h
generation, storage and use of electrical
power, analysis of existing systems, designing
and creating new systems and products.
In the undergraduate study of electrical
engineering, one is expected to study units
that cover various subjects that include:
engineering maths
computer science
physics
project management
The undergraduate studies take a period
of 5 years in Kenyan universities. Physics and
mathematics form the basic foundations of
the course. Computer science is necessary
as engineers use computers in designing the
systems and devices and in maintenance of such
systems. Project management is important as
most engineers will find themselves managing
a team of technicians or other engineers in
execution of a project. Graduates can then
choose to major in any of the sub disciplines
of electrical engineering such as power
engineering, control engineering, signal
processing, telecommunication engineering,
computer engineering for their postgraduate
studies depending on their interest. At the
Uni versi ty of Nai robi , a masters degree
programme is offered taking a period of 2
years and those who successfully complete
are awarded the master of sci ence i n
el ectri cal and el ectroni c engi neeri ng.
At the end of the undergraduate studies,
one is awarded the Bachelor of Science degree
in Electrical and electronic engineering.
A fresh graduate needs to be registered by
the engineers' board of Kenya (E.B.K) before
they can go into practice. Practising electrical
engineers are involved in a wide range of
fields: design and maintenance of electrical
supply systems of the country which include
the design of the national grid, many advances
in biomedicine were pioneered by electrical
engineers and they still play a big role in the
maintenance and improvement of the imaging
and control systems in the medicine industry.
Major software companies like Microsoft employ
electrical engineers, airplane manufacturers
such as Boeing and air bus also employ electrical
engineers to build electrical and computer
systems in the aeroplanes that will be failure
free and backup systems in case of failure.
Most astronomical observers also employ
electrical engineers to design their telescopes
and other optical instruments and also to do
advanced signal processing. Electrical engineers
can also help design devices to aid those with
impaired hearing, sight or other impairments.
Telecommunication
Electrical engineers strive to keep everyday
people and emergency services connected
with higher data rates and reliability using
the internet, radios, cell phones, satellites
and other devices including development of
cognitive radio systems to allow emergency
services to communicate with each other, quick
deployment ad-hoc communication networks
for special security units, embedding emergency
communication systems in large buildings,
setting up of private networks/communication
for security personnel/ special functions
such as the virtual private network set up by
Safaricom for IEBC during the last elections.
Nanotechnology
El ectri cal engi neers are i nvol ved i n
research and devel opi ng f uture nano-
devi ces and materi al s for el ectroni cs,
medical applications and renewable energy.
So as you deci de to study electri cal
engineering know that you are entering
a wi de prof essi onal f i el d t hat of f er s
you l ot s and l ot s of oppor t uni t i es .
Being an
Engineering:
lectrical
ngineer
U
nder the very real threat of nuclear
annihilation and having already
experienced two atomic bombs,
Japan surrendered to the United States. This
was 1945 and Japan was on its knees. 1965
and Singapore was facing unemployment, a
housing crisis, low levels of education and
lack of natural resources. In 1965 Singapore
to note was just as "poor" as Kenya and if the
growth of the two economies ran parallel,
Kenya would have been a first world country
by now. By 1953 South Korea was reeling from
the effects of decades of brutal colonization
and the equally brutal Korean War. In short
there was very little optimism going round in
the east at the time. This included Malaysia
and Taiwan. So what changed because reading
this you are well aware that the economy of
Japan is the third largest in the world. Singapore
has one of the highest GDP in the world as of
now. Mention South Korea or Taiwan and an all
conquering electronics industry comes to mind.
Industrialization is the gold standard for
how far an economy has developed. Mention
any of the above countries and you will associate
a global brand that acts as a flag bearer of some
sort. Japan has the iconic Sony brand (this was
the Apple of the 80s and 90s) and Nippon
Steel. Taiwan has HTC and Acer. South Korea
has Samsung, Hyundai and LG to mention just a
few. It is no coincidence all the companies that
define these countries have their foundations
in engineering. These countries realized that to
rise from the ashes of the 20th century they
had to invest in a policy of industrialization.
With the exception of Japan these were new
budding economies dubbed the tigers, emerging
from a tumultuous mid twentieth century in the
south of Asia. The then recently independent
Kenya seemed set for a si mi l ar pat h.
Expectations were high as Southeast
Asia was settling down in the 1950s.Malaysia,
Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and South
Korea went ahead and surpassed these
expectations. Kenya did not. The stories
of Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and
South Korea are not so different. The tigers
set industrialization as the vehicle that would
take them to a whole new economic status.
Good engi neeri ng i s t he backbone of
i ndust ri al i zat i on and t hese count ri es
i nvested heavi ly i n producti on of world
class engineers for that single purpose.
One in four South Korean undergraduate
students is an engineering major. This is by no
coincidence. The South Korean school system
is designed around the country's economic
needs. South Korea was in need of a rebirth
half a century ago where most of it's population
was made of uneducated farmers. A little
over sixty years later South Korea is a fully
industrialized nation producing everything
from semiconductor products to oil tankers.
Singapore with no natural resources apart from
its people is one of the most developed nations in
the world along with having the most advanced
technological capabilities in Southeast Asia. A
fourth of all undergraduate degrees in Taiwan
are engineering degrees. Engineering became
a highly revered profession and coupled with
the heavy investment in engineering education
saw these countries rise from mere assembly
factories for western companies in the 1960s
to producing their own products and competing
with much more established western companies.
Suddenly for the likes of General Electric, Ford
and Intel, the customer became a competitor.
Having engineers with sound technical
knowledge and skill in one's country is an
invaluable asset as it proved for Germany,
France, Italy, Russia, the United States and
Britain . With a second wave of countries
some of whom are Brazil, India and South
Africa looking to emulate the Asian tigers I
hope Kenya does not miss this train again.
by Kennedy Kituyi
by Kevin Odongo
O
n 2nd November, 1929 , Noni and
Charlotte Bose welcomed to their
lives a squalling baby boy who they
named Amar. Eighty-three years later Amar
would die having made Bose a household
name and taught many great engineers, not to
mention made himself a billionaire. However, he
had a humble beginning to life. Amar's father
was a political dissident who had been active
in the Indian independence movement until
he immigrated to the U.S. in 1920, married,
and moved to a suburb in Philadelphia.
During World War II, the elder Bose's
business- importing coconut-fiber doormats
from India-became impossible when nonmilitary
shipping was suspended. The teenage Amar
suggested that his father post signs at the
hardware stores where he once sold his mats,
offering radio-repair services. With his father
gathering the radios and young Amar fixing
them in the basement after school, the business
helped support the family through the war
years. In 1947 his father borrowed $10,000
so that Bose could attend the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, to which he says
he was admitted "by the skin of my teeth."
Although Bose had tremendous practical
experience in electronics, he came to MIT lacking
a background in calculus. Realizing that he was
"outclassed," he applied himself to his studies
with a tenacity he had lacked in high school.
Among other austerity measures, he limited
STYLE \\\\\ ///// MENTORSHIP
himself to two hours a week listening to his
beloved classical music. Nine years later, Bose
finished his doctoral research and decided to
reward himself with a first-class stereo system.
He approached the task, he says, like a typical
engineer. He studied the literature and bought
the best system based on the specifications.
But when he took it home and plugged it in,
it sounded terrible. He was disappointed and
confused. His ears told him the exact opposite
of what he had been taught should sound good.
Bose suddenly grew weary of writing his
doctoral thesis on complex variable theory.
His thoughts had turned to acoustics and
psychoacoustics, which he pursued for the next
12 years. He would eventually debunk most of
the prevailing wisdom on high-fidelity sound
reproduction. Today we can enjoy the fruits of
that work with the amazing Bose headphones -
a must have for any self-respecting audiophile.
In 1966, encouraged by his years of late-
night acoustics research suggesting that the
role of reflected sound had been overlooked,
Bose introduced a speaker that used multiple
small loudspeakers to take advantage of the fact
that 80 to 90 percent of sound from a speaker
radiates backward. The system did away with
woofers and tweeters and incorporated an
active equalizer. To work correctly, the speakers
had to be placed in the corners of the room.
The first speakers were a flop. But Bose's
reputation grew with the introduction of the
second-generation Bose 901 speakers, followed
by the 301 speakers and the Wave Radio. In
1978, on a flight from Zurich, Bose hit on the
idea for noise-canceling headphones' and
managed to work out the essential equations
by the time he landed. And in 1982, drawn by
the possibilities for high-quality audio in cars,
he teamed up with ACDelco to develop custom-
configured sound systems for particular models.
As he was working on his doctorate,
Bose was drafted to teach MIT's introductory
network-theory class. He reluctantly agreed to
try it for two years. Taking a non-conventional
approach of inviting other professors to lead
sessions where students would be invited to
think aloud rather than learn formulae, Bose's
class developed a cult following. He would
go on to inspire many engineering students
on to greatness over the next 45 years. He
would later donate most of his fortune to MIT
so that more great research could be done.
Amar Bose always loved fast cars. This
passion and his insatiable curiosity led him to
question if there was a way to get sports cars
around corners faster while retaining comfort.
In 1980 he decided to find out. Automakers
had spent half a century optimizing fluid-
based suspension hardware, but Bose came
at it from a completely different direction,
disregarding hardware assumptions and
limitations and focusing first on figuring out
what kind of performance was theoretically
possible. The research program began with
five years of mathematical analysis, which
revealed a tremendous performance gap; one
that could not be closed by making adjustments
t o exi st i ng shock-absorber hardware.
A shock absorber can only absorb energy
and the inherent inertia of fluids makes any
pneumatic or hydraulic system incapable
of reacting fast enough to give the desired
performance. In 1985 the team began focusing
Amar Bose:
Style Watch:
Karl Heinz Design
Better living through curiosity
continued on pg. 52....
B
orn in Cameroon Karl Heinz is currently
pursuing a degree in Mechanical
Engineering at the University of
Nairobi ; everything he does is a striking
reflection of of his sense of style, spirituality and
joy in learning and embracing different cultures
thus reinforcing his sharp attention to detail ,
proportion, color and most of all cut.
The contemporary man who appreciates
traditional practicality coupled with modern age
designs is his muse. His signature design ethos
involves taking the best cloth in the market, the
best possible artisans and the most fitting trims
to simply make the best suits your money can
buy.
Driven by the delight in making the most unique
collection of pieces made to the highest exacting
standards , his collection offers a sizzling mix of
of custom clothing and ready to wear garments.
The clothing line is a fitting representation of a
most sophisticated gentleman with exceptional
taste.
Each bespoke suit involves a time-honored
process tailored to the individual, leading to the
creation of a style unique only to the wearer
and consists of hand made clothing that brings
out the character and expresses the man within.
For more information:
karlheinztondo@gmail.com
www.wordpress.karlheinzdesign.com
by Tony Mugita
by Robert Abuya
///// ADVERTORIAL ADVERTORIAL \\\\\
T
he Youth Enterprise Development Fund
(YEDF) was conceived by the Kenyan
government in June 2006 as one of the
strategies of addressing youth unemployment.
It was gazetted on 8th December 2006 and
officially launched by the former immediate
President Mwai Kibaki on 1st February 2007.The
Fund is one of the flagship projects of Vision
2030, under the social pillar. Vision 2030, the
country's economic blueprint aims to attain
a middle income economy for the next 17
years. In particular, it sees YEDF as a strategy
of gainfully engaging the youth in social and
economic development, majority of whom are
unemployed. This will be achieved through
provision of credit facilities and equipping the
youth with appropriate skills and capacities
to creatively engage in economically viable
activities.
In particular, the Fund has a mandate to:
Provide loans for on-lending to youth
enterprises.
Attract and facilitate investment in
micro, small and medium enterprises
oriented commercial infrastructure that
will be beneficial to youth enterprises.
Support youth oriented micro, small
and medium enterprises to develop
linkages with large enterprises.
Facilitate marketing of products and
services of youth enterprises both in
the domestic and the international
markets.
Provide business development services
to youth enterprises.
Facilitate employment of youth in the
international labour market.
In an effort to meet the diverse needs of young
people, the Fund has introduced loans for youth
keen on doing business in specific sectors of
the economy. In this kind of financing, the Fund
provides credit to youth interested in doing
business in specific sectors of the economy.
To enhance their success rate, the Fund has
partnered with experienced players in such
fields who provide the needed continuous
technical support to the youth. Some of the
identified sectors include green house farming
and poultry business.
Youth groups receive egg hatching
incubators
Five youth groups from Central Kenya received
the first batch of egg hatching incubators
from the YEDF. The groups from the then
Mathira, Olkalou, Mwea, Kandara and Nyeri
town constituencies received their incubators
at a ceremony held on 22nd May 2013 at the
Fund's central region office in Nyeri town. The
youth are among hundreds of others who have
successful applied for the new incubator loan
product recently launched by the Youth Fund.
The loan product targets young farmers who
are engaged in poultry farming and are looking
for modern techniques to increase their yields
for commercial purposes. The credit facility
allows them to access the state of the art
egg hatching incubators which guarantees
high quality and increased quantity of eggs
hatched. The computerized and automatic egg
hatching incubator has a capacity to hatch 528
eggs, with 95 per cent success rate. In addition,
the incubator comes with a 3 years warranty
for its spare parts and 2 years for labour
extension services. The loan for the incubator
is Kshs 208,530 and attracts no interest. While
presenting the incubators to the youth groups,
the regional
Coordinator for Central Kenya, Mr. Samuel
Njue congratulated the young farmers for
embracing modern methods of farming. He
said that this was a positive step towards
enhancing food security in their community as
well as the country at large. Mr. Njue stresssed
that the demand for poultry products is high
in the region and that the ball is now on their
court to bridge the gap. He added: "The loan
product does not only target youth groups
but also individuals, especially those who
are already in poultry farming or keen on
venturing into the business." He therefore
urged young people whether in groups or as
individuals to embrace the product in order to
harness its potential for social and economic
sustainability. "Comprehensive training The
groups also underwent comprehensive training
on how to use the incubators as well as poultry
management. Key topics discussed during the
training included housing, bio security, feeding,
vaccination, disease prevention and treatment
among others.
Project summary
So far, YEDF has provided the incubators
to successful young applicants in Central
and lower Eastern Region. It is also in
the process of providing to those in
Nairobi Region, that includes Kiambu
and Kajiado Counties
The successful borrowers were taken
through a half day training on poultry
management that covers topics such as
housing, brooding, feeding, vaccination,
disease prevention and treatment, and
marketing among others. The trainers
provided reference contacts in case of
urgent technical assistance and other
extension services
Easy and affordable access to green house
farming
Young and budding small scale farmers
undertaking agribusiness across the country
have now easy and affordable access to modern
farming inputs, thanks to the partnership
between Youth Enterprise Fund and Amiran
Kenya Limited. The partnership aims to enable
young farmers to increase their agricultural
productivity by acquiring farm inputs and
agricultural training that would see them shift
from traditional to modern farming methods.
In this partnership, the Youth Enterprise
Development Fund provides financial support
in form of the "Agri vijana loan" of up to KES
358,334 to young farmers, who are in groups
as well as individuals, to purchase farmers
kits from Amiran Kenya. The loan attracts no
interest but includes 8 per cent management
fee.
The initiative has recorded overwhelming
success across the country for the short period
since it was launched in 2012. At least 54 youth
groups have benefited from the initiative to the
tune of about KES 19.6 million. Groups from
Central and Nairobi region have recorded the
highest uptake while those from coast and
North Eastern regions have recorded the lowest.
The qualified youth groups and individuals are
expected to raise at least 10 per cent of the cost
and have access to a minimum of a quarter acre
of land, as well as access to water. They have a
grace period of up to four months before they
start repaying the loan which can be adjusted
according to the maturity time of the crop.
The loan repayment is structured according to
yielding seasons of the crop
where repayments are higher
duri ng the hi gh yi el di ng
season and lower during the
low yielding season.
Amiran Farmers Kit
The Ami ran f armer s ki t
is designed to meet their
specific needs and include
two greenhouse tunnel s,
a dri p i rri gati on system,
collapse water tank, "gold"
medal seeds, nursery set,
hi gh qual i t y f er t i l i zer s,
agrochemicals, health and
saf et y prot ect i ve gear,
training, agrosupport, and
i nsurance f or t he crop.
Accordi ng t o Cat her i ne
Namuye, acting CEO, Youth
Enterprise DevelopmentFund,
the initiative is part of the
YEDF's mandate of promoting
enterprises through provision of credit and other
business development services. It is also in line
with the Fund's focus on providing sector specific
loan products to young people to enable them
take advantage of their talents and resources in
their vicinity and do business. "Early last year,
the fund set aside Kshs. 150 million to help
purchase a total of 420 greenhouses targeting
young farmers engaged i n agri busi ness
across the country" said Ms. Namuye. The
Kenya Economic Survey 2013 indicates that
majority of the youths are unemployed. Many
of them shun embracing entrepreneurship and
other informal employment opportunities in
preference for white collar jobs. While this is the
case, the "Agri vijana loan" initiative resolved
to introduce a paradigm shift. In particular,
the product is meant to attract many young
people into agribusiness as a viable trade
option to help them create self employment
and attain financial independence. "We expect
that thousands of youth will be attracted to
this 'cool' farming concept and therefore be
gainfully engaged," she said.
Namuye said that the loan product enables
young peopl e t o not onl y access sel f
employment but also improve on food security
in the country. "Despite the strides made
towards industrialization in the country, the
reason for giving this sector specific loan is
because, for a long while, our economy will still
remain agriculture-based. Therefore, farming is
the most viable option to create employment
and enhance food security," she ends.
Youth Enterprise
Development Fund
Empowering the youth
through innovative
agribusiness credit
facilities
by Ken Kimani
The Student Engineer 49
MAY - SEP (2013)
SEP 2013 - JAN 2014
JAN - APRIL (2014)
Sun 5th May - Sat 11th May
Sun 12th May- Sat 18th May 16th May
Sun 19th May- Sat 25th May 22nd May Orientation 23rd May
Sun 9th June- Sat 15th June 12th June Outreach, Pumwani Boys High School,
15th June
JKUAT Career Fair
Sun 16th June- Sat 22nd June General Electric, Awards ceremony,
21st June
Sun 23rd June- Sat 29th June General Electric, Awards ceremony,
21st June
Sun 23rd June- Sat 29th June First year football games
Sun 30th June- Sat 6th July 2nd July First year football games
Sun 14th July- Sat 20th July 16th July
Sun 21st July- Sat 27th July 23rd July
Sun 28th July- Sat 3rd Aug 30th July Magazine 7th Aug
Sun 4th Aug- Sat 10th Aug 6th Aug
Sun 25th Aug- Sat 31st Aug 27th Aug
Sun 1st Sep- Sat 7th Sep 3rd Sep
Sun 8th Sep- Sat 14th Sep Registration AGM, 18th Sep
Badiliqa, 21st Sep
AGM, 18th Sep
Sun 15th Sep- Sat 21st Sep
Sun 22nd Sep- Sat 28th Sep Acknowledging Kenya's
Technological Renaissance
and the university's role in it
Talk
Sun 29th Sep- Sat 5th Oct Dinner, 5th Oct Magazine 30th Sep
Sun 6th Oct- Sat 12th Oct Community Service Talk
Sun 13th Oct- Sat 19th Oct Community Outreach
Sun 20th Oct- Sat 26th Oct Public Image/Cultural Week Public Image
Consultant Talk Sun 27th Oct- Sat 2nd Nov Miss ESA, 1st Nov JKUAT Expo 31st Oct
Sun 3rd Nov- Sat 9th Nov Talk
Sun 10th Nov- Sat 16th Nov
Sun 17th Nov- Sat 23rd Nov Talk
Sun 24th Nov- Sat 30th Nov
Sun 8th Dec- Sat 14th Dec
EXAMINATIONS 2013
Sun 15th Dec- Sat 21st Dec
Sun 22nd Dec- Sat 28th Dec
CHRISTMAS BREAK
Sun 29th Dec- Sat 4th Jan
Sun 5th Jan- Sat 11th Jan - First year orientation - Recreational trip (3 days)
Sun 12th Jan- Sat 18th Jan Networking in Kits Magazine, 13th Jan
Sun 19th Jan- Sat 25th Jan Sports Day, 24th Jan
Sun 26th Jan- Sat 1st Feb Human Resource/
Communication Skills
HR Talk
Sun 2nd Feb- Sat 8th Feb
Sun 9th Feb- Sat 15th Feb Building Leaders of
tommorrow today
Career Fair & Innovation Week
Sun 16th Feb- Sat 22nd Feb
Sun 23rd Feb- Sat 1st Mar Mentorship Talk by UON Alumni
Sun 2nd Mar- Sat 8th Mar Community Outreach Magazine 7th March
Sun 9th Mar- Sat 15th Mar Talk
Sun 16th Mar- Sat 22nd Mar
Sun 23rd Mar- Sat 29th Mar New Leaders Elections, 28th March
Sun 30th Mar- Sat 5th Apr
NEW OFFICIALS
Sun 6th Apr- Sat 12th Apr
Sun 13th Apr- Sat 19th Apr
EXAMINATIONS 2014
Sun 20th Apr - Sat 26th Apr
///// ESA CALENDAR
WEEK
WEEK THEME WEEK TALK/TRIP MAGAZINE/OTHER
MEETINGS EVENTS OTHER
///// ESA INFORGRAPHIC \\\\\
Joy Nancy Ogechi
Chairperson
A student of Electrical and Information
Engineering. Prior to being Chairperson
of ESA, Nancy was the Academic Affairs
Secretary where she was involved in seeing to
the academic pursuits of the students through
planning career and mentorship talks. She is
a student member of Architectural Association
of Kenya, Institute of Electrical and Electronic
Engineers and STEMAfrica. She intends to
use her year in office to make a positive
impact on others around her by providing
resources and opportunities for members,
so they have a memorabl e experi ence.
Norbert Maosa Ombese
Vice Chairperson
An Electrical Engineering student who has a
passion for machines and technical devices.
He believes he is a current affairs guru and a
soccer and rugby fanatic. He is out going, easy
to get along with and God fearing. He plans to
bring as many corporates as possible on board
in order to make it easier for engineering
students to get internships. He aspires to create
an ESA club similar to TOAST Model where the
UoN geeks can meet weekly to share ideas.
Onyango Dickens Odhiambo
Secretary General
A student of Electrical and Information
Engineering, who is also a certified ethical
hacker. He has worked as a marketi ng
manager for Kenya Aspirants, ambassador to
TechnoBrain and an intern at Kenya National
Bureau of Statistics and Ministry of Pubic Works
.He is a member of the IEK, IEEE, I-hub, SADASA,
FabLab,United Nation Student Association
and Global Ethical Hacker Association. He
is also a member of the South Africa Rally
Association and Rift-valley Car and Sport Club.
Gichia H. Nyagaki
Financial Secretary
An Electrical Engineering Student with a
background in accounting . She hopes to
advance her career towards automation and
robotics. She is heavily involved in outreach
projects involving women and children and
her wish is to help empower women living
in marginalized areas through the use of
technology to make them more self- sufficient.
Atanasio Mugambi Mutiria
Social Affairs Secretary
An Electrical Engineering Student who believes
in team building as a chief ingredient for any
organization that expects maximum output from
its available human resource. He also believes
that setting personal goals and standards
creates an intrinsic motivation to achieve them.
Nancy Waweru
Academic Affairs Secretary
A student of Civil and Construction Engineering
and a hol der of Advanced Di pl oma i n
Busi ness Management f rom ABE UK.
She has previously worked at: Kenya Urban
Roads Authority, Jofrim E.A (Ltd), Kenya Institute
of Management, Independent Electoral and
Boundaries Commission and Weco Engineering
Consultant. She is an Associate member of
the Association of Business Executives (UK),
Association of Civil Engineering Students-
UoN where she is the chairperson. She is an
enthusiastic young engineer and an ardent
team-player with good leadership skills.
Cynthia Mukabana Osundwa
Vice Academica Affairs Secretary
Cynthia is a Civil Engineering student at the
University of Nairobi. She enjoys spending her
free time away from the tech world camping,
baking and listening to music. She loves
the young in everything! Watching anything
grow from tenderness to mighty is of great
motivation to her and keeps her going.
Reagan Magangi Kyaka
Public Secretary
Reagan is a determined and dependable
person. He has an interest in photography,
art and design and he enjoys swimming.
Richard Omune
Mechanical Eng. Representative
A Mec hani c al Engi neer i ng s t udent .
He i s a busi ness anal yst at Del oi tt e's
Ri sk Advi sor y depar t ment . He i s al so
the founder of Tri squared Associ ates,
Richard is a member of ICPAK and holds a
Diploma in Business and Information Technology
and a CPA both from Strathmore University.
Fredrick W. Nyongesa
Environmental and Biosystem Engineering
Representative
Fredrick is a student of Environmental and
Biosystems Engineering. He serves as the
Chairperson of Environmental and Biosystems
Engineering Students' Association. He believes
that with the diverse, unique and substantial goals
that the committee shares, they are determined
to put engineering students in the lead and
provide solutions to their day to day challenges.
ESA Profles
THE INTERNET IN
60 SECONDS
Standing:
Nancy Waweru,
Reagan, Cynthia,
Nyagaki, Fredrick,
Richard
Seated:
Ombese, Nancy
Ogechi, Dickens
///// COMMENTARY COMMENTARY \\\\\
on an electromagnetic solution. Such an
approach would be possible only with
high-efficiency, high-power linear motors
and amplifiers. It would require extremely
complex control algorithms to stabilize
the motors and fast microcomputers to
run the system. None of these existed.
Having identified the huge divide
between what was available and what
was theoreti cal l y possi bl e, Bose's
suspension team took on the challenge
of designing high-speed linear motors,
control algorithms and high-efficiency
ampl i f i er s. They hoped t hat t he
computer industry would make sufficient
strides on their fourth essential item,
high-speed processing. They began
testing designs and software, and by
1989, they had developed a prototype
that was ready to be road-tested.
At its heart are linear electromagnetic
motors installed at each wheel in place
of traditional shock absorbers. Power
amplifiers based on technologies Bose
pioneered at MIT deliver electricity to
the motors in response to signals from
the control algorithms. The motors move
so quickly and forcefully that they can
extend downward to roll the tire through
a deep rut and then retract fast enough
that the car's occupants perceive nothing
more than a mild stirring. On the far
side of the pothole, the motor operates
as a generator, so the suspensi on
requires less than a third of the power
of a typical car air-conditioning system.
Such achievements have only been
possible because of Bose's overarching
philosophy: Better living through curiosity.
Bose follows the objects of his curiosity
until the matter is solved, no matter
how long it takes or how much it costs.
Amar Bose passed away on
12th July, 2013, having lived
a life that is an inspiration to
all of us as engineers.
....continued from pg. 42
by Geoffrey Mosongo
by Matthew Oyaya
S
olar panel conversion efficiency is
an imperative aspect in achieving
ener g y ef f i c i enc y, but t hi s i s
reduced by dust, grime, pollen, and other
particulates that accumulate on the solar
panel. This dirt reduces the solar panel's
capabilities by up to 30% implying that the
panel's efficiency is significantly reduced.
In order to achieve maximum efficiency,
the solar panels have to be cleaned, cleaning
dirty panels with commercial detergents
can be time-consuming, costly, hazardous to
the environment, or even corrode the solar
panel frame. Ideally solar panels should
be cleaned every few weeks to maintain
peak efficiency, which is especially hard to
do for large solar-panel arrays. The cost of
cleaning averages at Ksh. 500 per panel but
that might not sound like a lot of money, but
if you have 10,000 panels it adds up quickly.
To solve this problem, a group of nano-
physicists developed a self-cleaning nano-
hydrophobic material that coats the solar
panel to maintain peak efficiency over longer
periods of time. The coating itself is very
robust. An actual covalent linkage holds it to
the surface of the panel, creating a strong
chemical bond. This is a big advantage over
spray-on coatings, which gradually degrade."
The pri nci pl e behi nd a hydrophobi c
coating is that the layer forms a barrier so
that water accumulates on the surface in an
almost spherical shape, but is blocked from
adhering to the surface by the barrier. This
means that when a treated surface is tilted
at an angle, the water rolls off the surface
like "a sphere rolling down a slide." What is
unique in this case is that the nano-coating is
so thin (8 nanometers) compared to normal
hydrophobic coatings that can be microns thick.
The nano-hydrophobic coating can be
applied to a variety of surface materials,
including glass, aluminum, cloth fibers, wood,
textiles, and plastic. The layer is so thin that it
does not scatter light, and therefore, does not
interfere with the solar panel's performance.
Water is one of the main reasons solar
panels get dirty. Rain and condensation
settle in the micro-depressions present in the
glass surface, where they attract particulate
matter. The water quickly evaporates, leaving
a dirty residue behind that is difficult to
remove. However, an application of the nano-
hydrophobic layer fills in the micro-depressions,
S
uccess in education requires a mix of
passion, hard work and support from
relevant communities. The tech world
is changing so rapidly and initiatives that link
students to the industry are becoming more
and more important. Google facilitates one such
initiative through its Google Student Ambassador
(GSA) program - where they partner with
academia to promote the use of technology in
everyday lives. This is in line with the Google
mission: to organize the world'sinformation
and make it universally accessible and useful.
The Google Student Ambassador Program
is an opportunity for students to act as liaisons
between Google and their universities. Google
Student Ambassadors are given a unique
opportunity to serve as liaisons between Google
and university for the duration of one academic
year, holding workshops, training and events
with their campus community around Google's
core products, programs and initiatives.
How many Google Student Ambassadors
(GSAs) are there in the University of Nairobi?
Only three, two from the School of Engineering -
Michelle Ngure and Geoffrey Mosongo (both from
the Department of Electrical and Information
Engineering) and one from Law School.
As it is always the case, charity begins at
home and the two GSAs from the School of
Engineering plan to host a series of events
with students and staff members to bring them
up to speed with the latest Google products.
A typical event may involve trainings
and hands on experience complete with
demos on Google Apps for Education. The
University of Nairobi went Google a long
time ago and Google Apps for Education are
ubiquitous within campus, the common one
being the students email @students.uonbi.
ac.ke. Others include Google calendar, Google
Sites and Google Drive. Another example
of an event can be a map up/edit event of
some Campuses within the University. Bottom
line, Google events are always fun-filled.
UoN Google Student Ambassador (GSA) Program
creating a smooth glass surface that cannot
hold water. As water is repelled by the surface
it will also pick up and carry away the dust
and dirt, thereby cleaning the panel naturally.
The materials were been tested at the
FOCAS Institute in the Dublin Institute for
Technology in Ireland, and the preliminary
results have shown that the coating repels
both fresh and saltwater, indicating it should
be effective in marine climates as well.
The product, named the "Self-Cleaning
Hydrophobic Coatings (SCHN107) Layer, when
commercialized will improve the efficiency
and reduce the maintenance needed for
any photovoltaic system. The proprietary
coating will also allow deployment of solar
panels in harsh (dust, salt) environments
with minimum performance degradation.
Because it works so well on a variety
of di f f erent sur f aces, SCNH107 has a
number of potential applications in aviation,
aerospace, medi cal devi ces, advanced
manufacturing, natural sciences, renewable
energy, and archi t ect ure, bot h as a
hydrophobic layer and an anti-corrosive.
Maximizing Energy
Effciency: Self-Cleaning solar panels
None of these. A hot enough flame with ionised
parts can be considered a plasma. A flame is
the part of a fire that we see and feel. Neither
of these is a material but what produces them
is , and therefore is in a particular state of
matter while the flame exists. For a fire to
be produced we need heat, oxygen and fuel.
When these three things are combined, a
chemical reaction takes place, which produces
new compunds. In the case of wood we get
charcoal and gas made of carbon, hydrogen
and oxygen. As this gas is heated it breaks
down and forms new substances in the form
of water, carbon dioxide, and other products.
The flame produced by these gases releases
energy in the form of light and heat, hence a
flame. To prove these substances are a gas,
scientists analyse the light from the flame
using spectroscopy, which will show what
elements are present.
Is a Flame a Solid,
Liquid or Gas?

The Student Engineer

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