Airline plans 17 weekly flights to Nairobi

By Chris Mburu

Emirates Airlines has notified Kenyan aviation authorities plans to introduce extra three weekly flights from Dubai to Nairobi.

The Middle East Carrier operates a daily evening and day flight to Nairobi, and the new flights would raise the weekly schedules to 17 per week.

But, plans to introduce Dubai-Mombasa flights have been suspended.

The new flights make Emirates the leading foreign operator to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and marks the continued dominance of the airline on Kenya to Middle East routes. Kenya Airways operates a daily flight to Dubai.

Emirates General Manager for East Africa, Mr Ali Al Shamsi, says arrival and departure times of the new flights will be announced later. "We are yet to decide whether to operate the new flights directly or to mount a joint operation through Kampala and Dar es Salaam," he said.

Aviation officials at the Ministry of Transport and Kenya Civil Aviation Authority say the current Bilateral Air Service Agreement between Dubai and Kenya allows for unlimited number of frequencies between Nairobi and Dubai.

Emirates has been flying to Kenya for the last 12 years.

"Outbound load factors from Nairobi are extremely healthy. From three flights a week some years ago, Emirates today enjoys a double daily service between Nairobi and Dubai," he said.

Uganda and Tanzania each have a daily, direct service from Dubai, up from four flights a week four years ago.

"On these routes we operate the Airbus A330-200 aircraft with industry leading features. Last year we registered a 50 per cent revenue growth on our Dar-es-Salaam route and a 40 per cent increase in Entebbe services," Al Shamshi said in an interview.

In October 2004, the airline started a once a weekly freighter service from Nairobi to Amsterdam via Dubai using a Boeing 747-400F offering 110 tonnes of cargo capacity.

The service - Emirates SkyCargo’s first African freighter route – was increased to twice weekly because of increased demand.

"Kenya is the world’s leading horticulture producer, particularly for cut-flowers. Emirates believes that the load factors will continue to grow over time as the potential of East African economies maintain an upswing. We look at Kenya as a high potential area for both passenger and cargo traffic," Al Shamshi said.

KenGen rules out power rationing as it increases energy production

By Mangoa Mosota

There would be no power rationing, at least not this year, the Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) has said.

KenGen Managing Director, Mr Eddy Njoroge, said over the weekend adequate measures had been taken to avoid a power rationing programme.

"I don’t foresee us resorting to power rationing, although the reserve margin is small," he said.

Njoroge was speaking at the weekend in Nyando, during the initial water filling ceremony at the intake of Sondu Miriu project.

He said KenGen has set a five-year ambitious plan to produce 500MW.

Njoroge said the target will be achieved through a number of hydropower and geothermal projects currently under construction.

He said the demand for power in the country would exceed 1800MW by the year 1012.

"We will work to ensure that we surpass this demand to ensure the reserve margin is adequate," said Njoroge.

He added that the current demand stands at1010 MW, but is expected to rise significantly in the next five years.

Njoroge, however, said most of the projects were behind schedule due to the rigorous procedures set by donors.

"We plan to complete many of our projects within three years, but conditions set by donors delay disbursement of funds," he said.

Njoroge said the company will undertake a three-year project at Sang’oro, Nyando District expected to add 20 MW to the National Grid.

The project will be funded by Japan Bank for International Corporation (JBIC) to a tune of Sh3.3 billion.

"Tendering will be done on Monday and bids will be submitted by December," he said.

He said construction work is earmarked to start in April, next year.

Njoroge said the Sondu Miriu Hydro Power Project which will be completed by November, will add 60 MW to the National Grid.

The project was funded by Japan at a cost of over Sh10 billion.

However, the cost of the project has exceeded the initial allocation as it stalled for four years.

He said Olkaria II, third machine Geothermal Power Plant will be constructed by Mitsubishi Corporation at a cost of Sh6.5 billion.

He said the World Bank, European Investment Bank and French Development Agency (AFD) will jointly fund the project.

"The three-year construction work will commence in a month’s time," he said.

He added that six geothermal wells are being drilled by Great Wall Drilling Company from China, and will be competed in the next one year and at a cost Sh1.6 billion.

Kenya currently produces 130MW of power from geothermal sources in three sites on the floor of the Rift Valley, which KenGen says has potential to produce 2,000MW.

Njoroge said KenGen would rehabilitate Kiambere hydropower at Tana River to produce an additional 20MW.

Njoroge was accompanied by the company’s chairman,

Mr Titus Mbathi and other directors, the chairman of the Lake Basin Development Authority, Mr Zablon Olang’, Nyanza PC, Mr Paul Olando and PPO, Ms Grace Kaindi also accompanied him.

KenGen, which is quoted at the Nairobi Stock Exchange, is the leading electric power generation company in the country, producing about 80 per cent of electricity.