Kenya’s ambitious push to exploit Nuclear Power
BY ISAAC MWAURA
This month’s electricity bill is one pound? I just put it in the box below the shelf, and there is no interrupted power supply.
How can it be this cheap? My housemate and I took turns to pay for the monthly electricity bill in our two bedroomed rented apartment in England, as we both pursued our postgraduate degrees at the University of Leeds.
What baffled us was that there were no black outs or what is called load-shedding in South Africa, a phenomenon that would at times see traffic lights go off, thus causing jams at various in tersections of the busy streets of Johannesburg.
Kenya is a fast developing country and with the intention ality of the 5th administration in implementing its manifesto, the country’s energy needs are bound to rise.
It is true that we recently discovered oil in Tur kana, and that we have boundless potential on solar, geothermal, wind, hydro, and other forms of energy.
However, our country is punching below its weight, with only about 3,321 Mega Watts that include 940 MW from geother mal, and 614 from thermal, as the 2024 data.
As we purpose to implement THE BETA PLAN; the net effect will be increased industrialization especially through the value chains that will be connected to the Counties Aggregation Industrial Parks (CAIPs), and the Special Economic Zones (SEZs).
Our country needs more energy sources in order to leapfrog itself into the future. Nuclear energy is reliable because of its renew ability and cleanliness. Most of the industrialized and therefore developed countries have nuclear energy to power their development.
This fact is clearly evident when you look at the nuclear power footprint in Africa. Only South Africa has a nuclear power plant, followed by Egypt that is in the race to set up one.
Kenya and Ghana come in third in this race to join the big club. It’s instructive to note that the South African Economy is more than 3 times our economy, and is the biggest, in Africa. Kenya is ranked 6th continentally, and 3rd in Sub-Saharan Africa.
There are fears associated with nuclear plants, especially after the 1986 Chernobyl accident in Russia. However, almost 40 years later, a lot of lessons have been learnt from the incident, leading to better technology and greater safety.
In order to ready ourselves for the uptake as a country, the gov ernment set up the Nuclear Power & Energy Agency (NuPEA) led by the CEO, Mr. Justus Wabuyabo.
The organization was established as the Kenya Nuclear Energy Board (KNEB), whose founder CEO was, Hon Ochillo Ayacko, the current governor of Migori, and a former Energy Minister in the 3rd administration.
Currently, Kenya is already us ing nuclear technology for treat ment of cancer at the Kenyatta University Teaching, Research & Referral Hospital (KUTRRH), and in preserving foods, away from using pesticides that are harmful to human beings.
Some of the benefits include; renewability and cleanliness since the energy produces virtually no greenhouse gas emission during operation, making it a powerful ally in the climate change action and justice since it will help us achieve our national carbon reduction target.
Secondly, a nuclear power plant operates 24/7, thus guar anteeing a stable and reliable supply of electricity that is critical to the development of the industries.
This will lead to sustained economic growth by preventing load-shedding and power black outs. It is also true that upon establishment, a single nuclear plant shall generate about 10,000 jobs for our young people.
As a country, we need to do what it takes to attain this status, in order to guarantee our development into the future, if we are to maintain our status as an upcoming economic powerhouse in Africa and the world.
Isaac Mwaura is the government's spokesperson