Kibagare Haki Zetu Biocentre

On Tuesday, I went to Kangemi to visit the Kibagare Haki Zetu Biocentre.  Kangemi is located near Westlands.  We left Umande Trust's office in the early afternoon and took two matatus to get there.   Upon arrival we walked through the Kangemi fruit and vegetable market, then went back into the settlement itself.

The biocentre was built in 2011, and about a year and a half ago the group began a solar program with 6 solar panels.  They are placed on top of the biocentre.  The solar panels produce enough energy to power the biocentre and between 6-8 households.  It costs the households 300/- per month.   I spoke with the treasurer and she really appreciates having the solar power at her house.  Prior to solar power, her households and others used kerosene and candles for lightening, but now having solar power allows them to have clean energy, and it can power more than kerosene, for example TVs.


Here is a view of the solar panels. They are spread all around the roof.
 

The demand for connections to the solar power is much higher than the supply currently.  There were many more households that were interested, but the project will need to expand to accommodate the demand. As the solar power mostly used at night, during the day the biocentre chairperson would like to set up a charging station, to make use of the energy during the day.

This is the control room for the solar project. 
Inside the biocentre, there is a clinic, and while I was there I spoke to one of the doctors.  She told me that they have been there for 9 months now.  The clinic provides services to community members at a subsidized rate. On average the clinic sees 15 patients per day and the average cost is 350/-.

Then we walked around Kangemi and visited a toilets that are connected to the biocentre. We also passed by a school that is connected to the biocentere.

On average the Kibagare Biocentre makes 1500/- per day and on the weekends 1700/-.  Plus they receive revenues from the solar project and the clinic that is inside.

The solar project is very interesting, and it is very beneficial in these areas. Developing solar energy not only provides people with a clean alternative to fuels that they are currently using, but it also allows for the energy to be used for TV and other appliances.   This is something that can be expanded upon, especially as clean energy is the way of the future in the fight against climate change.

-Michelle Swiger

Comments

  1. UnknownAugust 17, 2016 at 9:49 AM

    You know your projects stand out of the herd. There is something special about them. It seems to me all of them are really brilliant!
    solar panel cell phone charger

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Local NGO combats insufficient sanitation in Kibera

Image
Kibera, the largest informal settlement in East Africa, rests five kilometres from Nairobi’s city centre and houses more than a quarter of the capital’s population. Defined by its uncertain land tenure, inferior infrastructure and low incomes, it is no secret that this densely populated area suffers from dangerously low levels of sanitation services. According to an Impact Assessment Report conducted by Jean Africa Consultants (JAC), there is one pit latrine for every 50 to 500 community members living in Kibera. Often times, the location of a pit latrine makes it inaccessible for waste collection and after it overflows with excrement, it is abandoned. This results in the increased use of “flying toilets,” a plastic bag used for defecation that is tossed as far away as possible. In Kibera’s Silanga Village, a survey conducted for the previous assessment report found that more than 50% of respondents admitted to throwing their waste using the “flying toilet” approach. The lack of
Read more

Bio-gas lighting at Kayaba Ushirika wa Usafi na Maendeleo (Kuum B); Mukuru Settlement

Image
  KUUM B Biocentre   Household air pollution is high due to burning of traditional fuels (kerosene and  charcoal) for cooking and lighting having adverse health impacts.  Use of these fuels produces high levels of smoke around the home with health-damaging pollutants.  These pollutants can lead to a wide range of child and adult diseases like  acute and chronic respiratory conditions (e.g. pneumonia), lung cancer, stroke and cataract. Residents in the informal settlement are the ones mostly affected by these conditions. Umande Trust through funding from Wimma Liikuttaa has been able  to maximize on the bio gas utilization from the KUUM B bio centre by installing 4, one burner stoves and biogas lamps in the four rental rooms. The biogas burner ensures the tenants have their privacy as they cook their meals and importantly improve the health of women and children.  The residents have been able to save on the cost of buying paraffin and paying electricity bills. The
Read more

Voices of the Caretakers: Joseph

Image
Upon entering the Starra Bio Centre, one would assume that this centre is just the same as all of the others neighboring it in Kibera. But once you walk past the circular centre itself, you are greeted by a large tent filled with plants, a greenhouse. This is where Joseph has worked for the past two years, and like his coworkers at other centres, Joseph spends most of his day cleaning and collecting pay. But he also has an extra job, tending to the greenhouse, planting, sowing, and harvesting the tomatoes and green peppers they sell there. Joseph enjoys earnings  living this way and says that it is a much fairer job than his previous one as a servant. He also says there are many challenges to his job. He often has to deal with abusive customers who refuse to pay after using the bio centre. Joseph says that he does not want to fight these thugs and often has to let them go without paying. Another challenge Joseph faces is the water scarcity in the area, and finds it frustrating that wat
Read more