Kenya "Becoming Economic Heartbeat of Africa"

By Isaiah Esipisu


Nairobi City at night



NAIROBI, Apr 25 (IPS) – When Kenya’s newly announced geothermal power generation project comes online, it will turn the East African country into an economic powerhouse in the region.

In April, the government launched the Menengai Geothermal Development Project, the first initiative of its newly formed Geothermal Development Company, which has been set up to fast track the development of geothermal resources here.

According to its chief executive officer, Dr. Silas Simiyu, by 2016 the first phase will generate 400 MW, which is enough to light up 500,000 households and run 300,000 small businesses.

Kenya: Garbage-Fed Community Cooker Cuts Wood Use, Energy Costs

By Isaiah Esipisu

At 9 am, boiled-maize vendor Janet Atieno leaves her house in Laini Saba village in Nairobi's sprawling Kibera slum with a sack in one hand and a stick in the other. Her mission is to collect solid waste that she can exchange for cooking time at a community facility that makes use of garbage as fuel.

"For many years, I have used either charcoal or firewood to boil the maize. But the cost of these forms of energy has become unbearable," said the mother of four, explaining why she decided to start picking up rubbish to redeem at the community cooker.

Climate change calamities are easy to predict, and manage

By Isaiah Esipisu

After decades of dependence on donations and food aid, East Kenyan native Sophia Mwende Mutua discovered how to embrace tough climatic conditions by growing drought-resistant crops for commercial and domestic consumption.

“Eastern Kenya is a dry land area,” Mutua said. “At times, we can go three years without any signs of rainfall. Yet, the only way to survive when faced with these circumstances can only be through food aid distributed by humanitarian organisations and agencies,” said the mother of five.

Microloans, Greenhouses Help Women Cope with Climate Change

By Isaiah Esipisu

NAIROBI, Mar 2, 2012 (IPS) - At Gakoromone Market in Meru, in Kenya’s Eastern Province, Ruth Muriuki arrives in a pickup full of tomatoes and cabbages despite the scarcity of rainfall in the area, thanks to the greenhouse technology she uses on her farm – and microcredit.

"A bundle of ten tomatoes which would cost Sh40 (50 cents of a dollar) three months ago is now going for double the price. But we have no choice," said David Njogu, a vegetable dealer at the open-air market. Muriuki is selling a big sugarloaf cabbage, which would have cost 50 cents three months ago, at 1.50 dollars.

A spot check in the country shows that prices of horticultural produce have shot up in the past three months following the failure of short rains, which were expected to come between October and December last year.

In Search of Lasting Farming Solutions to Climate Change

By Isaiah Esipisu

NAIROBI, Sep 29 (IPS) - In the semi-arid Laikipia district of Kenya’s Rift Valley province, research scientist Sarah Ogalleh Ayeri travels from one village to another, documenting methods used by peasant farmers as they attempt to adapt to changing climatic conditions.

Laikipia district, found on a high plateau north-west of Mount Kenya, is divided into two ecological regions. The side closer to Mount Kenya receives some seasonal rains, while the northern part of the plateau is arid.