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Currently, Kenya has an installed capacity of 690 MWe, with KenGen contributing 533.5 MWe while the rest is by IPPs. Capacity building has been a key contributor to the success of geothermal development in Kenya. The major player in capacity building has been Iceland’s United Nations University Geothermal Training Programme (UNU-GTP), which has been building staff competencies in the areas of geothermal expertise though annual shortcourses, 6-month trainings, MSc and PhD since its inception in 1978. To-date 321 Kenyans have undergone the 3-weeks short course since it was initiated in 2005. A total of 124 have undertaken 6-month training in Iceland, and 21 have graduated from the MSc programme, in the specialized areas of Geothermal Geology, Geological Exploration, Borehole Geology, Geophysical Exploration, Borehole Geophysics, Reservoir Engineering, Chemistry of Thermal Fluids, Environmental Science, Drilling Technology, Geothermal Utilization, and Project Management and Finances. For the PhD programme, five Kenyans have been awarded fellowships by UNU-GTP for studies in Environmental Sciences, Geophysics and Geology. The continuous collaborative capacity building between the Icelandic UNU-GTP and Kenyan institutions has contributed to accelerated geothermal development, further aided by deliberate Kenyan Government strategic initiatives and policies implementation. In 2013, the Government of Kenya came up with an initiative dubbed the 40-months challenge through which the Country was to add 5,000 MWe with geothermal contributing 1,646 MWe. |
