The big mirage: How Kenya is slowly losing sight of petrodollar dream standardmedia.co.ke - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from standardmedia.co.ke Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
THE STANDARD By
Macharia Kamau |
April 6th 2021 at 00:00:00 GMT +0300
Had everything gone according to plan, Kenya would be preparing to start exporting its first consignment of commercially produced oil by the end of this year.
However, this has since changed and the optimism with which 2021 was labelled as the possible date for Kenya’s first oil payday has been moved to 2022, then 2023 and now 2024.
As recently as 2018, British exploration firm Tullow Oil had targeted a “Final Investment Decision (FID) for 2019 and First Oil for 2021/22.”
But the company has gone mute on when it expects to start commercial exportation of Kenyan oil, at least going by its just-published annual report.
Daily Monitor
Tuesday March 09 2021
Mr Omar Ssekamatte and Mr Animesh Ghosh from Propel Industries Ltd inspect the manufactured sand at one of the crusher plants. PHOTO/Amos Ngwomoya
Summary
Whereas some investors use a mechanised system to get these deposits, others still use rudimentary means which at times violate the National Environmental Management Authority guidelines that regulate sand mining and stone quarrying.
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With stones and sand being key raw materials for construction, their excavation has become a lucrative business.
Apparently, investors are racing against time to explore the next area where they could establish stone quarries to serve the current construction market. There are over 100 registered companies in Uganda engaged in stone quarrying business.
How borehole water hurts your health
Health & Science - By
Gatonye Gathura | March 1st 2021 at 12:00:00 GMT +0300
High demand for boreholes has also been recorded in Kiambu and Machakos counties, and adjacent urban areas of high volcanic soils, such as Kajiado, Ngong, Athi River, Kitengela, Ongata Rongai and Kitui. [Christopher Kipsang, Standard]
Frustrated by poor public water supply, many Kenyans are increasingly drinking from salty boreholes.
Today, a borehole on site is a must-have for property buyers or renters in the country’s growing urban centres.
“You pay more for a flat connected to a borehole, but at least it assures you of constant water supply,” says Joseph Muteru of Tassia in Embakasi, Nairobi.
Serena Beach Hotel Naturalist, Samuel Ndunda, aims at Indian house crows (inset) [Photo: Omondi Onyango]
At Serena Beach Hotel and Spa in north Coast, we find Samuel Ndunda, 52, armed with a catapult to scare away birds. Ndunda is among three people employed solely to scare away Indian house crows, a preying bird that wreaks havoc at the Coast. The workers chase the black and grey necked birds that hover around the hotel lawn looking for food. “They are a real nuisance. They grab food from plates. They excrete all over as they fly from one spot to another,” he said.