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President Uhuru Kenyatta Tuesday laid the foundation stone for an ultramodern centre at the University of Nairobi to house the Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies. The institute at the UoN Upper Kabete Campus will be a global centre of excellence in environmental governance and its linkages with peace and democracy. The institute aims to create a culture of peace through transformational leadership in environmental governance. President Kenyatta said Wangari Maathai had a vision to establish such an institute before she died and it was an honour for the university to host the institute.
“Before her death, Wangari had conceived the idea of establishing the institute and shared the idea with the university leadership and her friends across the world,” he said.
President Kenyatta said the late professor’s legacy will continue living, adding that she is the best role model for all Kenyans who want to contribute to the progress of the country.
“I am encouraged to learn this Institute is already playing a critical role in reducing conflicts in communities by involving women in green energy technology, and in environmental conservation,” said the President.
The construction of the institute at a cost of Sh1.4 billion is being funded by the Government of Kenya and the African Development Bank. After laying the foundation stone, President Kenyatta joined students in one of the lecture halls at the College of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences. The President called on the students to shun tribalism and to work together as Kenyans to achieve their dreams. He also called on the students to abandon tribal organisations and instead yearn for the higher national ideals of progress and unity.
“The most important thing is for each one of you to get a job after graduating and that will not be determined by where you come from,” said the President.
The President, who answered questions from the students on leadership and youth policies, said that the youth will not achieve leadership on the basis of ethnicity. The President said the Jubilee Government has put in place measures to help graduates get employment by creating opportunities for internship. He said the government plans to reward, with tax rebates, companies that offer internship. Government departments will also start offering internship to prepare graduates for the workplace. The President urged the students to promote unity, not only in Kenya but also a regional scale. http://i.imgur.com/UesTJA3.jpg http://i.imgur.com/eoBXPa4.jpg http://i.imgur.com/G3CWM.jpg http://i.imgur.com/AqCpj.jpg http://i.imgur.com/vuMH0.jpg http://i.imgur.com/NelOz.jpg http://i.imgur.com/j3C7u.jpg
If he cares about environment why is he bringing coal power to Kenya? Just a few months after bragging about clean Ol Karia, wind power etc.
Ama ni double speak like all those SOVEREIGNTY speeches then touring the world with a begging bowl mortgaging the same sovereignty ? Or ignoring the fact that Somalia is a sovereign state ?
umegonga ndipo dada. We aren’t that energy hungry to warrant a coal plant at the coast anyway…all while other nations are scaling down on their coal plants…not to mention the respiratory illnesses that result from it.
Meanwhile under his watch portions of Karura forest are being turned into a hotel
Take a minute and educate yourself on coal power. It is the dirtiest source of power rife with health concerns. As we speak Duke Energy is providing bottled water to thousands in North Carolina because of contaminated ground water due to coal waste from their coal plants. Every nation is phasing out coal including China. There is a reason visibility in Beijing and Shanghai is only a few meters and for weeks people are asked to stay indoors and use masks oudoors -coal power plants.
What we have is GOK taking orders from Chinese corporations that only care about having contracts and the one thing they know how to build is a coal plant. A few Kenyan officials are paid off to allow it. But of course we’ll be told it’s development and we should be happy its happening. You know how lax Kenya is at enforcement; that coal plant will be a cancer plant in a few years.
Where in Karura Forest, that report reached CS Environment, she went personally with press to inspect it but it wasn’t found. So show us here where it is. Mind you also that Karura forest now has an electric fence around its borders.
I understand coal power. It’s hazardous to the environment and the population around the area. Scrubbing wouldn’t work to rid the air off the carbon particles. I’ve seen Shanghai in the news several times engulfed by smog and it’s absolutely undesirable. I’m wishing there was an alternative way of using the coal and I’m glad focus is now on geothermal and wind power generation.
There is clean coal technology designed by joint USA/China cooperation. All extracted materials during coal burning is processed to neutral substances including harmful gas. The problem with coal is that it has such a bad name due to past pollution that most don’t even want to consider the strides the industry has undertaken scientifically make it clean.
Asante Sana hiyo matusi will never make you any bigger in life or richer. Kuongea ni free but asked to prove, matusi. Sad. Karura Forest isn’t that big you can jog around it so anything happening there can’t be a secret.
Lol you really out to get the sheep into the slaughter house here. Clean Coal is a big fat PR lie. Paid for by coal producers. It doesn’t really work. That’s why they are shutting down plants instead of using this magical solution. We’re talking of billion dollar companies shutting money minting stations.
The EPA does not give pass to the connected like NEMA does. Science haitambui kabila.
When all that mercury is in the systems on innocent Kenyan children, and we have acid rain, you guys will be very proud of your work.
Some things I will go throw stones against, coal and nuclear energy. I really hope Kenya doesn’t get into either.
Back to the matter at hand. Why was Wangari Maathai Institute of Peace and Harmony (sic) designed by South Africans? In this day and age, don’t we have enough educated Kenyan architects? Was there a design competition?
We will never have to burn the amounts of coal these nations burn ever, Kenya is a very small country with good weather all year round so the amount of electrical energy required here is a fraction of what is required in China and USA. The amount of fear mongering being done is too damn high
Please tell us what ‘good weather’ means and what it has to do with coal waste ? Just a few months same government was on a geothermal/wind/solar campaign promising that through those we’d have surplus electricity. Now all over a sudden coal is our saviour ? Call it fear mongering. I call it not falling for Chinese lies.
To open up North Kenya we need 1000 MW if are to connect all towns, villages and attract industry there. Option 1 is solar but solar can’t be primary load power for any grid. Its perfect during the day then batteries at night when you need it most. For 1000MW that’s too high for any stored inverter storage capacity in existence. Two is wind power but so far Turkana Wind firm can generate only 330MW when complete. We will need a lot more before we reach adequate load capacity. Three, we build a new high capacity grid line which is currently at design stage to connect national grid to North Kenya through Juja station. Currently all connections in North Kenya is by low capacity lines and we therefore lose a lot of power on transist. Once connected to national grid we will need more geothermal plants to get the 1000MW needed but its possible. Fourth we can use Ethiopia power and that is currently ongoing after the high capacity line funding linking the two nations was secured from AFDB.
Amu coal power was a backup power that interlinks with all power plants to make us sure the region grid has reliable load power. Garissa 1000MW solar power to provide power for industry/businesses during the day complemented by wind power from Turkana. At night Ethiopia power and Amu coal power to sort homes. They complement each other.