Kenya’s SGR (Mombasa-Nairobi) VS Ethiopia rail (Addis-Djibouti) - PART II

Ethiopia has recently launched its Chinese built SGR that will link Ethiopia's capital Addis with port at Djibouti.

Inauguration of Ethiopia's SGR - Skyscrapercity

In the previous article we compared Kenya's diesel powered SGR with Ethiopia's electric powered SGR. It has been a general attitude regionally and far beyond that the Kenyan railway cost has been inflated through corruption leading to an escalation of total cost to around USD 3.8B (600km) compared with USD 3.4 B for Ethiopian line.

Many have written either to justify [1] or to disown [2, 3, 4, 5, 6] the enormous cost of Kenya's diesel powered railway infrastructure. Many of those against the exorbitant cost of Kenyan rail are influenced by the fact that the Kenyan rail is diesel powered, shorter, traverses a flatter terain among other reasons. The proponents legitimizing the cost cite the "superior" nature of the Kenya's SGR e.g. for example when it comes to double stacking of cargo, class one trains, provision for electrification in future, higher cargo capacity, longer turning radii, longer elevated length, more "western" looking train stations, more passenger couches...etc.

An elevated section of Kenya's SGR - Skyscrapercity

Economy
Much as been written on the capital cost of the railways but there is scarcity of information regarding the viability study reports for both projects.

The fundamentals point to a cheaper cost for the Ethiopian line in terms of passenger and cargo traffic. Lets have a comparison: Electricity, Labour, Capital cost, O&M

A comparison of fundamentals

Fundamental	KENYAN SGR	ETHIOPIAN RAIL	Comment
Electricity
Labour
Capital cost
Operation & Maintenance
Other

Reference

1. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/06/next-stop-the-red-sea-ethiopia-opens-chinese-built-railway-to-djibouti#img-4 2. http://nextgeninfraworld.blogspot.co.ke/2015/01/kenyas-sgr-mombasa-nairobi-vs-ethiopia.html 3. http://nairobiwire.com/2016/10/analysis-ethiopia-unveils-750-kilometre-electric-sgr-but-is-it-better-than-kenyas.html 4. http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/business/article/2000204183/sh16-billion-enough-to-build-new-rail-project-says-leading-uk-magazine 5. http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/business/article/2000101450/why-rail-project-could-be-kenya-s-biggest-scandal-yet 6. http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000218960/eurobond-sgr-heists-to-finance-2017-election-campaigns-claims-githongo

The state of Kenya's public transport

Kenya has embraced the most primitive means of public transport in the history of the world. The privatization of subsidized so-called Nyayo bus in 1995 saw the provision of urban transport move into private hands. Much of it ended up mostly in rich (political elites) who have controlled various transport routes directly or by means of proxy cartels, for example the Mungiki. Since then, the quality of services offered has dwindled due to the unprofessional and careless nature in which the private entities plan and manage the transport services. Profit making has therefore come first before quality service delivery.

The model bus (matatu) used is typically, in majority of cases, a "mobile discotheque" bearing all sort of art mimicking the African American ghetto lifestyle from images, music, videos, tattoos, bling, shiny rims and other fancy ideas. These buses violate most laid out traffic rules hence not only endangering human lives but also destroy vital city infrastructure and the environment in the process.

A typical bus

Although the National Environmental Authority has limited the sound decibel level in public spaces to human health acceptable levels (30-40 decibels), which were briefly implemented by the late minister Michuki, the laws are hardly adhered to.

The matatu culture also comes with a rampant culture of drug abuse among the driver and co-driver. These drugs range from miraa/khat, marijuana, and also more hardcore drugs. The stressful nature of the job and peer pressure might be some of the reasons why the individuals take the drugs.

Involvement in Road Accidents
It is very near impossible for a day to pass without an accident involving the matatu crooks given the careless nature in which they are operated. An example is the most recent accident involving a matatu along Langata road in Nairobi that killed four people while injuring six. It is said that the driver of the matatu "lost control" and rolled while he was over-speeding.

Matatu accident

 Apart from the owners and operators, the passengers themselves take a blame for promoting the dangerous matatu culture. More importantly, the ultimate responsibility rests on the government. However, president Uhuru Kenyatta's actions have raised doubts of any possible improvement in the near future through his endorsement of the culprits who own and operate the matatus. 


    

Waste-to-Energy plants in Africa

According to Wikipedia, a waste-to-energy plant is a waste management facility that combusts wastes to produce electricity. It is also called a trash-to-energy, municipal waste incineration, energy recovery, or resource recovery plant. Unlike old incinerators, modern energy recovery facilities incorporate mechanisms that remove hazardous or recyclable materials before combustion.

By combustion, the volume and weight of waste material is reduced by 90 percent and 75 percent respectively.

Typical W2E plant schematic

The application of waste to energy plants in Africa is still very scarce due to the complex technology and immense initial capital requirements. This post will detail some of the facilities that are already installed and those currently under construction in Africa.

Perhaps the biggest setback is the lack of incentives for green waste management solutions. The power and heat generated by W2E plants do not economically justify the installation of a W2E plant. Thus incentives, such as carbon credits and other forms of compensation are a requirement to initiate such projects.

Comparative cost of generating power

Installed W2E plants in Africa

1. Ethiopia 50 MW Koshe W2E plant

Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo)  and Cambridge Industries, a United Kingdom based firm, signed an agreement January 4, 2013 for the construction of a 50 MW plant in Addis. Feasibilty studies were also conducted in other cities throughout Ethiopia to recommend future projects in various cities including Dire Dawa, Adama, Mekelle, Gonder, Behar Dar, Hawasa, and Jimma. This will be the country’s first waste-to-energy Project and will process 350,000 tons of waste annually.

The plant was 75% complete as of the end of 2015 and expected to be operational in 2016.

More details will come soon...

2. 

Sources 1.    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waste-to-energy_plant 2.   http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2014/01/an-independent-engineering-evaluation-of-waste-to-energy-technologies.html 3.   http://www.cambridge-industries.com/