the student engineer

8/12/2019 The Student Engineer

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The Student Engineer 1

CONTENTS

10.

06.

16.

15.

18.

NewsWiFi for Matatus pg. 4

Emergency number revived pg. 6Digital TV Signal pg. 6

Tech.BRCKpg. 8

Passenger Lift mechanismspg. 9"Sharpened Axe"pg. 12

"Mechanical Whale"pg. 13The Hyperloop projectpg. 14

Why your computer is not safepg. 16

FeaturesBroadbandpg. 18

Electric roadspg. 19Railway Developmentpg. 21

UoN Towerspg. 23Electricitypg. 26

Foreign firmspg. 31Developing Nairobi Countypg. 33

DesignLand Rover Defenderpg. 10

First Aid Kitpg. 15

ESACalendarpg. 48

ESA 360pg. 49ESA Profilespg. 50

SocialCommentary

pg. 35 - pg. 47


4/31

The Student Engineer 32 The Student Engineer

Editor's Note

Copyright Student Engineer 2013 Reproduction of any article in part or full without permission from The Engineering Students Association is strictly prohibited

The Student Engineer


@StudentEng

CHAIRLADY'S MESSAGE

It 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 andsponsors 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.

NancyOgechi

Five 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 ch anged when the previou sgovernment, 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

TonyMugita


5/31


Wi-Fifor matatus

///// NEWS

Safaricom 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 service will definitely 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 ena ble

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

public transport daily and according 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

tourism sector in getting a competitive

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 phoneson 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:


6/31


///// 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 you have? Th i 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 nc lude , 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?

How much electricitydoes the humanb ra in produce?

The human brain requiresaround 20 Joules per secondto operate, this is enough to

power a 20 watt light-bulb.

The generation of electricityin the brain results from themovement of ions (charged

atoms) through the brain.

Whats your Niche?

Kenyas Digital TvAnalogue switch-off date set for December 2013

999M

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.

CCK, 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 the Communicat ions Commiss ion of Kenya.

The lack o f an emerg ency res pons e l i ne had

s ignif icant ly undermined the country's abi l i ty 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

The government 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 ICT ministry through the PrincipalSecretary Joseph Tiampati recently stated

that only 500,000 households in Nairobi

out of an estimated 1,000,000 owning

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 m e r s a r e a l s o e x p e c t e d t o

benef i t f rom c learer p i c t ure qua l 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 successful lyc 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

government , the

lobby group withdrew

the court case in

exchange for a role

to steer the process.

MENTORSHIP \\\\\

by Marian Muthui


7/31


The 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'sresilient 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

Given 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 beused 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 mechan ism th at he employe d 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, microprocessorcontrollers 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 leave anything 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.

In case the cable 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

faulty, this may result in

serious fatalities. Ever heardof 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


8/31


///// 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 J eep 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 ch assis 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 therewas 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 couldeither work the land or you couldown 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 highwaysand 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

DEFENDERCelebrating an Icon

Adventure: That burning desire to explore the

unknown, to venture where no human has gone

before, to be the rst to reach the peak and to cross

continents.

by Tony Mugita


9/31


///// TECHNOLOGY TECHNOLOGY \\\\\

They 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 Since 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. Af ter much study, experiment and hard

work, the invasion of this mysterious natural

roof began, thanks to Wilbur and Orville Wright.

Unknown to many people and often

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


10/31


"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"

As 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 ef ficiently

reducing air resistance. Recently, a research

group reported it had levitated arbitrarily

shaped objects in acoustic waves. This

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 itwill 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.

ElonMusk

The Hyperloop Project

Initial sketches of The Hyperloop

///// TECHNOLOGY

This brilliant concept for an at-home

first-aid kit by a product design

student at the Royal college of Ar ts

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-glance direct ions along the 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,

information and clarity in conventional

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 m i 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 m e a n t d e s i g n i n g s p e c i a l

t oo l s i n cer t a i n cas es for example :

Spooled bandage dispensers that

let you wrap in a hurry and which can

be s l iced short with a bui lt in blade

instead of having to resort to scissors.

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


11/31

16 The Student Engineer

///// TECHNOLOGY TECHNOLOGY \\\\\

It 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 ofbrowsing 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!

WHYSAFE

your Computer isnt

but... Infrastructure

Development

Broadband

Roads

RailwayElectricity

UoN Towers

by Dickens Odhiambo


12/31


Human beings have an insatiable

need for information 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 governmenthas 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 illustrations may explain 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 cansupport 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.

Jus t l i ke e lec t r i c i t y , broadband

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 stridesthe 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

is expected to invest in

developing the necessary

support infrastructure. Once

fully implemented the project

Broadband:A Game Changer or a necessity?

continued on pg. 22....

Science 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

effects of petroleum as a fuel 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. Scientists have started

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

Accord i ng t o Vo lvo , t he fu t ure

of t ransportat ion isn't dependent on

improving this type of electric vehicle

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 entirelength. 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 Swedish-based automaker 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.

With this method, electric vehicles

could be continuously supplied with power

without carrying large batteries. Currently,

long distances are especially challenging for

vehicles operating only on electric power.

An electric 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 sustainable transportat ion

system .For this to happen however, we

must invest significantly in research NOW.

Electric roads

///// FEATURE FEATURE \\\\\

by Gabriel Etonga

by Ken Kimani


13/31


Kenya'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 sectoris 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 projects 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-billion (102-billion shilling) and is

financed by several agencies, the African

Development Bank, the World Bank and theFrench 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 amaximum 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 ele ctricity,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

Economic 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 ofchoice 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 fromthe 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 this plan, 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 indeveloping 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


14/31

22 The Student Engineer The Student Engineer 23

Jomo 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

will cost an estimated 10 billion Kenya

shillings and adjoining the present semi-

circular terminal building housing units 1,2, and 3. The terminal will bring temporary

rel ief to JKIA unt i l the new Greenfield

mega terminal opens in a few years' time.

T h e n e w C a b i n e t S e c r e t a r y f o r

Infrastructure and Transport , Michael

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 important for Kenya's aviation

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

internet users to more informat ion.

If well managed, this information will

sow the seeds needed to transform

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

The 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 University of Nairobi is seeking 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 acoustictreatment.

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 Y i , is expected to be the landmark

for academic institutions in the region.

UON TowersThe Chandaria University of Nairobi Towers


by Bonaventure Kabiru

by Konji Davis


15/31


///// ADVERTORIAL

Intergraph Geospatial 2013 World Tour, Kenya

Oakar Services is Eastern Africa'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&SComputing, 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 Services Ltd in partnership with

Intergraph held an event dubbed "Intergraph

Geospatial 2013 World Tour Kenya" at the SarovaPanafric 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 coordinat ion of both

ERDAS and Geomedia product famil ies

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, LeicaPhotogrammetry 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, discover, process and securely

disseminate mass ive volumes 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 sourcesand 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,

mosaicking, and 3D feature extraction.

This technology expo paved way for fur ther

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 student engineer

Documents