By John Njiraini
Cement maker, Athi River Mining (ARM) will build a Sh3.7 billion coal power plant to reduce energy costs.
The 30 MW plant to be ready by December 2011, is expected to save the company Sh450 million in energy costs annually.
ARM chairman Rick Ashley, said the company would utilise 11 MW and sell the remaining 19 MW to the national grid.
“As demand continues to grow, we want to ensure we manufacture cement in a cost effective way. With this plant, we expect to save 25 per cent of our energy needs,” he said.
Industry statistics indicate that cement demand stands at 6.2 million tonnes and is expected to increase to 14 million tonnes by 2014.
via The Standard | Online Edition :: ARM to invest in Sh3.7b coal plant.
July 2009
Global Witness uncovers foreign companies’ links to Congo violence
Global Witness’s new report, ‘Faced with a gun, what can you do?’, details how many mining areas in eastern DRC are controlled by rebels and the national army, who violently exploit civilians to retain access to valuable minerals. It names international companies trading in these minerals.
via Global Witness uncovers foreign companies’ links to Congo violence – media library – global witness.
A picture showing the destruction in the Mau forest.PHOTO/FILE
Politics around settlement in Mau Forest complex and prosecution of post-election violence suspects have conspired to box the most enigmatic Kenyan politician into a corner.
Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who is perceived as a politician with an indomitable spirit, has walked into a risky political mire from which he will be lucky to come out unscathed.
What transpires over the next few months will inform the future of the Orange Democratic Movement party, which he leads and his baton to the 2012 presidential contest.
On the issue of impunity, the more he pushes for prosecution of the violence suspects, the more he is reminded that youths — particularly those from the Rift Valley — fought because they were bitter over his “stolen victory.”
By calling for the trial of perpetrators of the violence — some of them believed to be senior ODM members — Mr Odinga is accused of “betraying” his supporters.
Events in the Tuesday Cabinet meeting capture Mr Odinga’s dilemma.
DAILY NATION - Mau evictions and trial for chaos suspects tests for Raila.
The technology involves planting the maize in a nursery and then transferring the seedlings to the main field later, like it is done with trees.
A new and revolutionary technology, borrowed from China by Ministry of Agriculture officials is being rolled out in the drier parts of Nyeri District and is said to have the capacity to improve food output.According to Beatrice Theuri, an agribusiness development officer at the ministry’s offices in Nyeri, they learnt of the Maize Transplanting Technology MTT from China when they visited the country last year. Now the technology is being tried out in various parts of the district.
via DAILY NATION - From China with new ways to improve crop yields.
Nominated MP Rachael Shebesh said on Tuesday that the Ministry of Planning had accepted to include disaster risk reduction focusing on climate change in the ambitious plan.
“You know planning is everything. You cannot have a Vision 2030 that doesn’t incorporate the risk factor. What if we don’t have a good crop. What if we have locusts invading our farms, or any other disaster,” Ms Shebesh who is also the Chairperson of an Africa Parliamentarians Group on Climate Change posed.
She said inclusion of the disaster risk reduction strategy would allow Kenya to survive any disaster caused by climate change.
The legislator added that Kenya had been selected as one of the five African countries that would present the continent’s agenda at the high level climate change meeting to be held in Copenhagen in December.
via .: Capital News :..
Carbon trading is seen by many as the key ingredient in combating climate change. But it is a complicated process affected by politics and economics. In this panel at the One Just World Forum in Adelaide, a group of experts gathered to talk about some of the initiatives that will help to reduce carbon emissions whilst also addressing economic development and poverty.
via ABC Fora- Carbon Trading Exposed.
SMS Obama:
The White House has set up local SMS short codes for people to send their messages:
• Ghana – 1731
• Nigeria – 32969
• South Africa – 31958
• Kenya – 5683
Elsewhere, the numbers are: 61418601934 and 45609910343.
Barack Obama, the first African-American president, has arrived in Ghana on his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa as US leader.
Ghana was chosen because of its democratic track record and Mr Obama is expected to use the trip to promote democracy across the continent.
He is due to visit a former slave fort as part of his 24-hour visit.
Posters of Barack and Michelle Obama dot the capital, Accra, where their arrival was eagerly awaited.
via BBC NEWS | Africa | Historic African trip for Obama.
“We welcome the commitments made by countries represented at L’Aquila toward a goal of mobilizing at least $15 billion over three years,” the statement said.
“We are committed to increase investments in short, medium and long-term agriculture development that directly benefits the poorest and makes best use of international institutions,” it added.
It said the combined effect of longstanding underinvestment in agriculture, price volatility and the economic crisis had led to increased poverty and hunger in developing countries.
The United Nations says the number of malnourished people has risen over the past two years and is expected to top 1.02 billion this year, reversing a four-decade trend of declines.
The statement said the G8 summit kept a strong commitment to ensure adequate emergency food assistance, but its focus on agricultural investments reflects a U.S.-led shift toward longer-term strategies to fight hunger.
The United States is the world’s largest aid donor of food — mostly grown domestically and bought from U.S. farmers.
via G8 summit to pledge $15 billion to boost food supply | Green Business | Reuters.
It is true that democracy based on majority view is also a form of oppresion especially against minorities. The same can be said about knowledge. Knowledge consolidated in the hands and minds of a few, can result in a legitimised form of oppression. This is becoming evident in the area of climate change within the promoted complex mechanisms and processes meant to comprehensively deal with this global phenomenon.
A few terms have become synonymous with “climate change”- REDD, COP15, Adaptation and Mitigation- especially linked to local communities and how they can be integrated into the climate change framework. A few well placed leaders, NGOs, CBOs etc have been at the forefront of calling for action and demanding for resources to facilitate the engagement with these “terms”
via Knowledge, oppression and Climate Change.
