John Muchira

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John Muchira

Kenya aims to mobilise private capital for grid expansion

21st October 2016 Kenya is banking on public–private partnerships (PPPs) to mobilise a staggering $6.5-billion to implement the country’s electricity transmission plan, which will involve the construction of 18 000 km of high-voltage power lines by 2030. Says Energy principal secretary Joseph Njoroge: “Every year,... →

Concern raised over Kenyan plan to run portion of rail through national park

21st October 2016 Plans by Kenya to construct the last kilometres of a 472 km standard-gauge railway (SGR) line across a major national park in the capital city, Nairobi, have met with stiff opposition from environmentalists. Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC), which is constructing the line, which stretches from... →

Ethiopia’s controversial hydropower scheme now feeding 800 MW into grid

21st October 2016 Ethiopia’s controversial Gilgel Gibe III hydropower dam is now feeding 800 MW into the national grid, following the recent switching on of the sixth of its ten turbines. When completed, the $1.8-billion hydropower scheme will generate 1 870 MW. Completion was initially scheduled for June this... →

Contractor commits to completing Ethiopia-Kenya power link by August 2017

9th September 2016 The Chinese company constructing a high-voltage transmission line that will enable Ethiopia to export electricity to Kenya has promised to complete the project by August next year. China Electric Power Equipment and Technology (CET), which officially commenced the construction of the... →

Tanzania aims to set up oil trading hub in Tanga

2nd September 2016 Tanzania plans to establish oil trading hub in the coastal town of Tanga to supply petroleum products in East and Central Africa. Buoyed by Uganda’s decision to opt for the Tanzanian route for its crude oil export pipeline, the East Africa nation announced that plans are underway to transform... →

Ethiopia misses 2015/16 mineral export target by 30% on low gold price

2nd September 2016 Ethiopia is still feeling the effects of the gold prices crash of 2013 after earning from minerals exports fell short of target in the 2015/16 financial year. The Horn of Africa nation recorded a Ethiopia's mineral export earning for the 2015/16 fiscal year – at $310-million – were 40% below the... →

Tanzania’s rural electrification plan gets $470m boost

26th August 2016 Tanzania's plans to increase electricity connections in rural areas have been boosted by a $470-million loan that the East African country has secured from a consortium of development partners. The country has made efforts to tackle abject poverty in rural Tanzania, where electricity access has... →

Tanzania’s rural electrification plan gets $470m boost

26th August 2016 Tanzania's plans to increase electricity connections in rural areas have been boosted by a $470-million loan that the East African country has secured from a consortium of development partners. Efforts to tackle abject poverty in rural Tanzania, where electricity access has remained a pipe dream... →

Arbitrary licence cancellation a thing of the past as Kenya establishes oversight board

26th August 2016 Investors in Kenya’s mining sector will no longer face the risk of arbitrary cancellation of their licences, as the country has established a body to oversee the licensing of prospecting and mining activities and the leasing of mining tenements. Moreover, companies planning to invest in the... →

Kenya gears up to award contract for new Mombasa oil import facility

19th August 2016 After a delay of more than three years, Kenya is finally set to start constructing a modern oil importing facility in the coastal city of Mombasa. The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) announced earlier this month that it is in the process of identifying a contractor to $116.3-million terminal. The... →

Rwanda plans $85m petroleum products depot

19th August 2016 Landlocked Rwanda plans to build a $85-million petroleum products depot as it seeks to increase the country’s strategic fuel reserve from 70-million litres to 150-million litres by 2018. “Maintaining adequate fuel reserves is one of the key measures towards safeguarding national security and... →

Kenya unveils plan to revive idle petroleum refinery

12th August 2016 Kenya plans to revive its obsolete petroleum refinery – which has been idle since 2013 – as it gears up for commercial crude oil production over the next two years. In a move aimed at utilising the archaic facility that has been lying idle since 2013, the government has directed state-owned Kenya... →

Tanzania signs loan deal with China for crossborder rail project

12th August 2016 Tanzania has signed a $7.6-billion concessional loan agreement with Export-Import Bank (Exim) of China to finance the construction of the standard-gauge railway line project connecting it with Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The 2 561 km line will run from Dar es... →

Mega industrial park signals Ethiopia’s manufacturing intent

5th August 2016 Ethiopia has commissioned the largest industrial park in Africa, signalling its intention to become one of Africa’s manufacturing hubs. The Horn of Africa nation, which is among the fastest-growing economies in the world, recently unveiled the Hawassa industrial park, which is core to its efforts... →

Mega industrial park signals Ethiopia’s manufacturing intent

5th August 2016 Ethiopia has commissioned the largest industrial park in Africa, signalling its intention to become one of Africa's manufacturing hubs. The Horn of Africa nation, which is among the fastest-growing economies in the world, recently unveiled the Hawassa industrial park, which is core to its efforts... →

Banks back 1 000 MW coal fired power project in Kenya

5th August 2016 Standard Bank of South Africa has concluded a deal to finance a massive coal-fired power plant in Kenya. The bank will be financing the $2-billion with Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd (ICBC) to finance the construction of the $2-billion coal power plant in Kenya that will have a... →

Kenya titanium mine eyeing revenue rise to $140m this year

29th July 2016 Mineral sands developer Base Resources is set earn $140-million from minerals exports from its titanium mine, in Kenya, this year. The Kwale mine generated revenue of $90-million in 2015, up from $85-million in 2014. →

Kenya pursuing own oil pipeline after Uganda partnership collapses

3rd June 2016 Kenya has set in motion the process to build its own crude oil export pipeline after plans to partner with Uganda in a similar project hit a snag. Only days after Uganda announced it was partnering with Tanzania instead, Kenya reported that it had decided to build its own pipeline from... →

Tanzania aiming to become East Africa’s regional transport hub

13th May 2016 Tanzania is determined to implement transport infrastructure megaprojects in a bid to become East Africa's regional transport hub. The country, which is investing massively in port, airport and railway projects, has earmarked $445.6-million in the current financial year budget for the... →

Ethiopia likely to face green opposition over new hydropower plan

6th May 2016 Ethiopia could be headed for another round of confrontation with environmentalists following the announcement of plans to construct another hydropower plant on the contested Omo river. The Horn of Africa nation managed to silence conservationists opposed to the Gilgel Gibe III project, which... →

UK oil and gas firm reports start of gas output from Tanzania project

6th May 2016 Africa-focused oil and gas company Aminex has announced the commencement of natural gas production at its Kiliwani North project, in Tanzania. The London-based company says that initial gas production from the Kiliwani North-1 well has started and is expected to build up to between 25-million and... →

Uganda unhappy with quality of work on two power projects

6th May 2016 Two Chinese companies undertaking critical power projects in Uganda are at loggerheads with the East African country over shoddy workmanship. Synohydro and China Water & Electric (CWE), which are constructing the Karuma hydropower dam and Isimba hydropower dam respectively, have attracted the... →

Process to hire operator for new Kenyan railway line gets under way

15th April 2016 Kenya has set in motion the process to appoint an operator for a new standard-gauge railway (SGR) line that is poised for completion in May next year. The State-owned Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) has already advertised for a transaction adviser to assist in the process of procuring the... →

East Africa moves to introduce electronic monitoring of goods in transit

8th April 2016 Three East African neighbouring countries are set to introduce an electronic system to monitor goods in transit as part of efforts to boost trade and plug tax evasion loopholes. Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda have announced that, from June, all cargo in transit from the port of Mombasa to the Ugandan... →

Kenya’s bid to make mining a key economic pillar being stymied by bad policies

1st April 2016 Efforts by Kenya to transform the mining sector to a key economic pillar are being hampered by policies that make the country unattractive to foreign investors. According to a new report from Fraser Institute, of Canada, Kenya’s mining sector ranks among the bottom 10 in the world in terms of... →

$700m Kenya airport project stalls amid loan-guarantee uncertainty

25th March 2016 One of Kenya’s infrastructure megaprojects is on the verge of collapse following the refusal by would-be financers developed cold feet due to the Kenyan government refusal to guarantee the loan. In a move that now puts the construction of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Greenfield... →

Tanzania grants mining licence for Rukwa coal project

25th March 2016 UK company Edenville Energy will start developing the Rukwa coal project, in Tanzania, in June, following the granting of a mining licence by the authorities in that country. Edenville CEO Rufus Short says the first coal will be produced 18 months later. →

Rwanda mulling credit guarantee fund to encourage lending to mining sector

11th March 2016 Rwanda is mulling over the establishment of a credit guarantee fund to encourage commercial banks to increase lending to the mining sector. Minister of State for Mining Evode Imena says the development of mining projects has been hampered by commercial banks' reluctance to extend credit... →

10 MW Uganda solar plant to begin producing in July

4th March 2016 Uganda is set to add 10 MW to the national grid in July, when a new solar plant to be built by Middle East and Spanish investors is expected to come on stream. Dubai-based Access Energy Group and Eren RE have awarded TSK Group of Spain the contract to construct the $19-million Soroti solar... →

Kenya sets 2020 universal electricity connectivity goal

26th February 2016 Kenya will in April embark on an ambitious project aimed at achieving universal electricity connectivity by 2020. Over 50% of the country's citizens do not have access to electricity, as only 3.8-million households have been connected to the grid over the past century or so, translating into a... →

Uganda at odds with environmentalists over oil and gas exploration

26th February 2016 A push by Uganda to explore for oil and gas in an environmentally sensitive area has sparked off a major row between government and environmentalists. Just when investments in Uganda oil industry have taken a major hit owing to plummeting crude prices, a major confrontation is in the offing in... →

Nile standoff could jeopardise East African power-pool projects

19th February 2016 The standoff between Egypt and Ethiopia over use of the Nile river's waters is threatening to jeopardise power projects aimed at interconnecting the grids of countries in the wider Eastern Africa region. In a new twist to the protracted dispute, Egypt has pulled out of the Eastern Africa Power... →

Jasco expands Nairobi office as it eyes East African growth

5th February 2016 JSE-listed smart technologies firm Jascois expanding its Nairobi office in an effort to capture a bigger market in the East African region. The company, which offers a wide range of electronic solutions, has hired a Kenyan technical and sales team to drive its voice, data and video business in... →

Port of Mombasa container terminal project nears completion

5th February 2016 A new container terminal project at the Port of Mombasa, in Kenya, that is nearing completion risks being underused after the process of hiring an international independent operator was marred by controversies. The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) says it will now assume management of the second... →

Rwanda plans inland clearing port to bolster trade

5th February 2016 Landlocked Rwanda plans to construct an inland clearing port to boost trade and accelerate economic growth. Trade and Industry Minister Francois Kanimba says the country's government has awarded a 25-year concession to Dubai Port World to build and operate the new Kigali Logistics Platform. →

East African nation plans to diversify mining sector, increase production as earnings nosedive

29th January 2016 Rwanda plans to diversify minerals sector and increase output to mitigate the effects of unpredictable commodity prices on the international market. The East African nation, whose economy is hugely dependent on the mining sector, contends that diversifying and increasing production will ensure... →

Newmont Mining aiming to expand presence in Africa

22nd January 2016 US mining giant Newmont Mining plans to expand its presence in Africa, whose extractive industry, it believes, has immense potential. The company, which is among the largest gold producers in the world, has shown interest in Ethiopia’s gold mining industry and is exploring opportunities in the... →

Maersk Oil moves to acquire five Kenya, Ethiopia exploration blocks

11th December 2015 Crude oil exploration in East Africa has received a major boast in the form of Danish giant Maersk Oil's acquisition of stakes in five exploration blocks in Kenya and Ethiopia. Maersk Oil, a subsidiary of global conglomerate Maersk Group, has entered into an agreement with Canadian firm Africa... →

Ethiopia unveils plans for $4bn Addis Ababa mega-airport

11th December 2015 The configuration of Africa’s aviation sector is headed for a significant shake-up following the announcement by Ethiopia of plans to build the largest airport on the continent. Superambitious Ethiopia, which has caused ripples on the continent with megaprojects in the infrastructure arena, has... →

Foreign oil and gas explorers object to Kenya tax proposal

11th December 2015 Foreign companies exploring for oil and gas in Kenya have opposed the planned introduction a 5% tax on the sale and acquisition of exploration blocks. The companies contend that a clause in the Petroleum (Exploration Development and Production) Bill 2015 that seeks to introduce a 5% capital gain... →

Google set to invest in Kenya’s Lake Turkana wind power project

6th November 2015 Global information technology (IT) giant Google is set to invest in Kenya’s Lake Turkana wind power (LTWP) project as part of its efforts to promote clean energy in developing nations. The company is backing the project with a $40-million investment for a 12.5% stake. The investment will be... →

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