KAA and transport minister in quarrel over tender award for second runway and airport expansion

NEW HURDLES FOR AIRPORT EXTENSION THREATEN TIMELINES

Over the weekend did news emerge in Nairobi that wrangles over the tender for an additional terminal and a second runway have run into a series of problems, with directives and counterclaims flying from all directions.
While the Office of the President appears keen to see the project break ground before the end of President Kibakis term of office in March next year, the Minister for Transport appears to have different ideas as he reportedly has instructed the KAA management to cancel the tender award and start afresh.
The expansion of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport into a world class airport facility and hub for Kenya Airways, which intends to grow their fleet over the next 10 years from presently 36 to 105, has been at the core of Kenyas Vision 2030, to facilitate a greater inflow of visitors and offer improved cargo facilities able to ship a growing volume of exports to consumer markets around the world as well as allow for speedy imports by air.
Aimed to add to the ongoing construction of a new terminal, apron spaces and other facilities currently underway, the 55 billion Kenya Shillings Greenfield Project would indeed make JKIA the undisputed aviation hub in Eastern Africa, large enough to catapult the country truly into the new millennium and provide space for growth for a generation.
It now appears that in disregard of a ministerial directive to cancel the tender awarded to a Chinese construction company the KAA continued to progress the work programme, probably backed by the keen interest coming from the head of state, who during his address at the Kenya Airways share rights issue in April at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi left no doubt where his interest were vested when he said: I challenge KAA to hasten the expansion of our airports to the thundering applause of all present, including the entire Kenya Airways board of directors and the transport minister, before adding: I would like to see the expansion project move faster because any delay is costly to the country. This was in many circles seen and understood to be a presidential directive, superseding the ministerial directive, i.e. outranking it and the battered ego of the minister must have been responsible for delivering a slap in the direction of state house when he was quoted in the local Kenyan media to have said to him it did not matter who was breaking ground as long as he was getting it right.
This perceived affront will however only bolster those who ignored the stop order and it also appears that KAA involved the countrys Attorney General in getting a legal opinion, which when rendered confirmed that the countrys highest legal counsel found no issues with the tendering and stated that all requirements as stipulated had been met, giving KAA the legal basis to ignore the ministers wishes and stick to the desires of the Presidents Office instead. The minister, when confronted with this development then hit out at his cabinet colleague too, calling him a mere government lawyer, another faux pas certain to raise the heat of argument when cabinet next meets.
Meanwhile are all eyes of the aviation industry glued to developments on that front as hopes were high that after having the tender award given the project would break ground as early as November this year and the building of a second runway would finally be within sight, or perhaps now not, as spanners seem to be flying into the works from all sides.
Aviation rivals Ethiopia will be seeing these development with some glee, as they are planning to build a new airport in Addis Ababa, where no such squabbles exist, and even in Rwanda is a new airport being planned, with ground breaking too expected later this year, at Bugesera to have a longer runway facilitating intercontinental flights by RwandAir from 2016 onwards, when they expect deliver of their first B787 Dreamliner.
Exciting times for the aviation industry in Eastern Africa, so be sure to watch this space to catch the latest updates.

Rhino Fund Uganda releases new tariffs for Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary 2013

RHINO FUND PUBLISHES 2013 RATES FOR ZIWA RHINO SANCTUARY SERVICES

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The Rhino Fund Uganda has just announced their fee structure for the year 2013, well ahead of the due date to allow for incorporation in tour and safari itineraries, many of which now include a visit to the only place in the wild in Uganda where rhinos can be seen. Angie Genade, Executive Director of the Rhino Fund and the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, has expressed her satisfaction with the upwards trend in visitor numbers coming to Ziwa and during a recent meeting announced that one of the females appears to be in mating mood already, which could sometime next year result in rhino number 13 joining the dozen now at Ziwa, up from the original 6 imported for breeding.
The breeding programme was quite successful and I think here at Ziwa we have one of the fastest reproduction rates seen, since the females are going back into heat a lot sooner than expected after rearing their cub. We are also still trying to get more rhinos to Ziwa from South Africa, so that we can increase the speed of reaching that point when together with our partners Uganda Wildlife Authority we can then start to take a breeding stock to one of the parks, very likely Murchisons to start with though Kidepo is also another option. I also want to take the opportunity to thank our donors, friends and supporters through your column for the help and assistance they accord us, which is most appreciated and very necessary too, because the sanctuary and the Rhino Fund still have not reached financial self sustainability said Angie during a recent meeting in Kampala.
Here are the new rates and anyone is welcome at Ziwa, no reservation for a mere visit required when passing on the main road from Murchisons to Kampala, though a booking for tracking and the other activities is of course highly recommended.

Kenya and South Sudan sign pipeline deal

SOUTH SUDAN AND KENYA SIGN PIPELINE DEAL
Within days of reaching agreement with hostile neighbour Khartoum Sudan over the fees on transporting South Sudans oil to Port Sudan for export said to have been literally forced down South Sudans throat by Western governments and subsequently the most expensive such deal ever costing the South some 12 billion US Dollars over the lifespan of the 3 year agreement has South Sudan reacted to provide for alternatives from 2015 onwards. In a deal announced today did they sign a major deal with Kenya, to build a 2.000 kilometre long pipeline to the planned port of Lamu, where an oil export terminal will be constructed to facilitate the loading and shipping of crude oil.
South Sudan had earlier in the year halted oil production and exports completely following the discovery that Khartoum Sudan had systematically stolen Southern oil on a large scale, only to claim it was their right in order to recover phantasy charges demanded for the transit of the black gold.
When attaining independence over 75 percent of the united Sudans oil reserves went to the South Sudan, leaving Khartoum reeling from the sudden deficit of readily available cash used to pay for arms, ammunition and to reward regime friendly militias doing the dirty work for them and soon afterwards started a series of aerial bombings of Southern territory, eventually prompting a sharp reaction from the Juba government. It resulted in the brief repatriation of Abyei, a state still awaiting their chance for an independence referendum as are South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, where ethnic cleansing of a massive scale has taken place over the past year, perpetrated by the same methods used by the regime in Darfur and previously in the South when the Southern African population was still treated literally like slaves.
The announcement in Nairobi of the pipeline deal will go a long way to restore confidence in the South Sudan of a brighter future, while Kenya can now be assured that the South Sudan oil pipeline will become reality along the LAPSSET corridor which will link Lamu port with Ethiopia and South Sudan by road, rail and pipeline. Construction is expected to commence in early 2013 and completion of the project is hoped for to take place before the present oil transit deal between South Sudan and Khartoum is expiring in 2015. Watch this space.