The sweltering afternoon heat took its toll on the 12 year Kevin Ooko as he rode the battered family bicycle along the Kisumu Kisian road. With five-20 liter jerry cans precariously loaded on the bicycle carrier, the teenager struggle to keep his balance.

He quickly branched off the main road and headed to a newly constructed water kiosk. Mopping sweat from his brow, Ooko quickly offloaded the containers and took his place in the queue which is growing every minute as villagers come for water from the only nearby source of water.

From the water kiosk at Kanyijowi in Osiri, the Lake Victoria waters spread as far as the eye can see. But the distance is deceptive because it can take you almost 40 minutes to reach the nearest beach.

“Before this water kiosk was built, we used to walk for almost ten kilometers daily to reach the lake. It was like a punishment sending your child to the lake,” says Ann Okumu , a local resident.

His face coils into a grin as she remembered the dangers they courted as they fetched waster from the lake. “Two years ago, crocodiles killed two villagers - a 15 years old girl and a middle aged women as they tried to fetch water from the lake,” she said.

She said residents have been going to the lake but amidst a lot fears because of the reptiles.

It therefore came as a big relief when an international NGO –Kenya Water for Health Organization (KWAHO) teamed with leading water technology company-Davis &Shirtliff to drill nd equip water points at Osiri Sub-Location in Kisumu West Sub-county.

In Kanyijowi village for instance, where there is a water pump powered by the solar and a retention tank that serves several water kiosks dotting the village, the villagers were in full praise of the initiative by the NGO which was executed by Davis & Shirtliff.

Kanyijowi villagers' water problem could best be described as a case of scarcity among others given the presence of Lake Victoria, there was the problem of crocodile attacks which killed and caused unwarranted injuries.

According to Joshua Okello, the Chairperson of Sabembe water project, the distance to and from the lake, which is about five kilometers was just too long and the marauding crocodiles at the lake which lay in waiting just made life difficult further.

"This is a great relief for our people especially the women. As you can see this place is rocky and you cannot even think of drilling a borehole if you don't have the right technology. So when the lake became too unfriendly, trouble set in," says Okello.

The only other alternative for most of the residents were few and sparsely spread springs most of which have dried over the over the years.

"There was pressure on the springs, and we would wake up as early as three in the morning to go queue at the spring. The flow of water was slow, and it took a lot of time to fill our containers," says Josephine Oruko, a resident and a beneficiary of the water project.

The project has made the residents access clean water at very cheap rates with the 20litre container going for only Sh2.5, meaning Sh5 for the two containers.

According to Engineer Erick Omondi, a technician at Davis & Shirtliff Kisumu office, each project comprising of solar panels, water pump and raised water tank costing Sh3.06 million.

"That was besides laying the water pipes and building the water kiosks. Now there are no running costs as the water pumps are solar powered," said Eng Omondi. The water is automatic, explains Omondi, as it detects a reduction in the volume of water in the tank and it starts pumping automatically.

"The good thing about the technology which has gone into this is that there is reduction of manpower; the pump detects and starts pumping whenever there is a drop of water to some levels," explains Omondi.

There are over 4000 beneficiaries of the noble projects in the locality.

Fifty year old village blacksmith, Sospeter Ouma, says the water projects have also saved their wives and daughters the agony of waking up in the wee hours of the morning to fetch water from the lake and other far off bore holes.

“Imagine your wife leaving the house at 3 am in search of water. It is very risky. This is why we are a happy lot when the project was started here,” says Ouma.

Founded in 1946, Davis & Shirtliff’s business activities are focused on six principal product sectors - Water Pumps, Boreholes, Swimming Pools, Water Treatment, Generators and Solar Equipment.

The company has done similar projects in Busia as well as across the region. Davis & Shirtliff regionally distributes high quality equipment sourced from a number of industry leading companies from around the world as well as carrying out manufacture and assembly of various water related products.

Davis & Shirtliff supplied and installed solar pumps complete with towers in Holo, Power Kuche and Kajulu communities.

The project was initiated by community members who were constantly attacked by crocodiles as they fetched water from the lake which is their main source of water. The project is benefiting approximately 4000 members of the community.

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19th Sep 2020

Electricity prices in Kenya are among the highest in East Africa; only Rwandans pay more. Yet despite the high cost, Kenyans do not enjoy a high quality service, with power cuts and power rationing all too frequent, and changing weather patterns adding to the problem. Hydro-electric power provides over 60 per cent of the national electricity supply, but repeated failure of rains and environmental damage of watersheds has badly affected generation capacity. No wonder then that the Government is prioritising the exploitation of more reliable sources of power. And with international finance available for renewable energy technologies, wind power is high on their list.

Mega projects for Megawatts

Kenya's wind energy capacity is considerable; the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has estimated it could reach 3,000 Megawatts (MW), more than double the current national demand. Northern districts like Turkana and Marsabit have the greatest potential, and wind farm construction here is proceeding apace. A Dutch consortium, the Lake Turkana Wind Power Company (LTWC) has leased 70,000 hectares for construction of a 380 turbine wind farm, one of the largest in the world. When completed, the Lake Turkana wind farm is estimated to generate over 20 per cent of national electricity supply, and be the cheapest source of electricity in the country. A 300 mile transmission line will connect the wind farm to the national grid.

Other projects approved by the Ministry of Energy include a 300MW project in Marsabit in Kenya's Upper Eastern province, 350MW from various sites in Lamu Coast province and a 60MW facility in Kinangop, north of Nairobi. All these are due to be in operation by the end of 2013 or sooner, with the Government planning to offer US$8 billion in incentives for private sector investment. Patrick Nyoike, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Energy, is passionate about the need for that investment. "We realize that power rationing and prohibitive electricity charges only end up doing more harm than good to our economy and our people," he says. "This has inspired us to look into alternatives, chief among them wind. We have to get everyone on board to light every corner of the country and get our people out from the darkness."

Key to these ambitions is the Scaling-Up Renewable Energy Program in Low Income Countries (SREP), which operates through the Climate Investment Fund, with financial support from bilateral partners, notably the UK Department for International Development and the Government of The Netherlands. International carbon trading markets are also set to provide considerable funding; the Lake Turkana wind farm is estimated to be eligible for over €7 million in carbon credit payments, once completed.

Power for the people

While the government is supporting construction of mega projects, thousands of individual Kenyans are also choosing to invest in wind power. Surveys by market research company Synnovate have shown a 30 per cent increase in the number of companies selling renewable energy devices over the last five years. Norman Chege, Solar Division Manager at equipment firm Davis and Shirtliff, can attest to the growing popularity; in the same period, sales of household wind turbines by his company have tripled.

Customers have been attracted by the potential to generate their own power and avoid spiralling bills, as well as by the small amount of space needed to install a turbine. "It means I still have space for growing more in my garden and for anything else I want to set up. Space is everything around here," says Lincoln Omondi, a 35 year old bank teller who lives in Isinya, a semi arid area to the south of Nairobi. His 1,000 Watt generator, bought for around US$1,500, provides enough power to light his home, operate his appliances, power a small pump in his house and produce a surplus he can store in a battery.

Rural electrification

In Isinya, Omondi is not alone in his enthusiasm for wind turbines. The area is exposed to consistently strong winds, but is far from the national grid, and these combined factors have led to a massive uptake in household generating devices. According to Davis and Shirtliff, 45 per cent of households in the area rely on wind energy for one or more activities, whether for farming or household needs. "That is a huge number, which has baffled us," says Norman Chege. "But it has also allowed us to spread the message of wind energy adoption at household level to other areas that have strong winds, using Isinya as a success story. Already in areas like Kajiado the response is promising," he says.

Recently, the government's Rural Electrification Authority (REA), in partnership with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), has embarked on a pilot project to promote wind turbines among communities, institutions and individuals. The project is installing wind turbines for domestic electricity supply, with the surplus being sold to the Kenya electricity generating company Kengen. "It is a very promising and ambitious project," says Nathan Kabue a senior engineer at the REA, "One we anticipate will spur installation of more windmills and other renewable sources of energy like solar, so that we can reduce the over reliance on hydro power as we accelerate electricity connectivity across the country."

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19th Sep 2020

Leading water and energy solutions provider, Davis & Shirtliff, recently partnered with the Water Services Providers Association (WASPA) to provide training on emerging water & energy technologies to water utility heads who face a myriad of challenges in their operations.

The training was set to enlighten participants on available technologies to improve water quality, encourage the use of technology in monitoring and metering and optimize the use of chemical usage in conventional water purification. This comes at a time when the Water Utilities in Kenya are grappling with high operational overheads as a result of rising costs of energy and chemicals as they seek to maximise their water quality and plant operations.

“Technology is constantly changing. The ability for water bodies to provide water solutions sustainably is therefore crucial. The training introduces developments in water technologies and opportunities for improved quality as well as solar pumping technologies as a way of reducing energy costs,” said Mr. Alec Davis, the Group Chairman of Davis & Shirtliff in his welcome speech.

Davis & Shirtliff hosted the event at the D&S Knowledge centre in Nairobi’s Industrial Area which also featured other industry leading water solution providers including Dow, Improchem and Biobox.

Mr. David Gatende, the CEO of the Davis & Shirtliff Group, in his introductory remarks, noted that the training will benefit not just the water utility bodies but the country as a whole if the solutions demonstrated are taken up.

The Deputy Chairman of WASPA, Eng. Daniel Nganga emphasized that the modern public utility is looking to provide better and more efficient services and partnering with private sector players like Davis & Shirtliff is highly encouraged in the recently enacted Public Private Partnership Act.

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19th Sep 2020

In 1946 Davis & Shirtliff was founded as a water supply contracting company in Kenya. During the 67 years of its existence, it has grown into one of the leading distributors of water-related equipment in East Africa. And as infrastructure projects expand and demand for convenient access to water increases, the company is certain to see its products and brand reach an even greater level of success.

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19th Sep 2020