KenGen Completes 25 Acres Ngong Forest Restoration Project

Nairobi, Monday, January 10, 2022: Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC (KenGen), has completed Phase One of the 25 acres Ngong Forest Restoration Project.

Commenced in October 2018, the project involved planting 7,000 indigenous trees around a degraded site in Ngong hills forest power station, where KenGen generates 25.5MW of electricity from wind energy.

The initiative is in line with the company’s Environmental Conservation Program and Corporate Environmental Sustainability Policy, which seeks to undertake an additional 10 Hectares ecosystem restoration project in Phase II within the KenGen lease area at Ngong during the 2021/2022 financial year.

According to Ngong forest restoration Phase I's completion report, KenGen attained a 100% trees survival rate, marking the project as completed and successful.

The report read: “The project’s final milestone verification for milestone 3 final quarter was carried out on 21st June 2021 followed by a final Project Implementation Team (PIT) meeting at Ngong project site where 7,134 seedlings were verified as surviving against a target of 7,000 seedlings thus a 100% success achieved rehabilitating an area covering 10.7 acres (est).”

Speaking on the achievement, KenGen’s Managing Director and CEO, Rebecca Miano, said the company has fully aligned itself to climate action agenda and rolled out various environmental conservation projects across the country which will go a long way in in helping to slow down the effects on climate change.

“As an organisation committed to ensuring environmental sustainability in our areas of operations, we shall keep on ensuring that the plans for subsequent phases in the Ngong forest restoration project are delivered successfully,” said Miano, adding “this will complement other climate action efforts including our deployment of green energy power projects including construction of 83MW Olkaria I unit 6 which is almost complete.”

KenGen’s Environment and Sustainable Development Manager, Joshua Were, said that KenGen had rolled out plans to undertake an additional 10 hectares ecosystem restoration project within KenGen lease area during the 2021/2022 financial year. This he said will be achieved through planting, protection, replacing and maintenance of 10,000 assorted indigenous tree seedlings.

“Our aim is 100% growth rate, we do not only plant trees but also go a step further to ensure that all the trees are well taken care of and natured to maturity,” said Mr. Were.

KenGen has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with partners including Kenya Wildlife Services. In the MoU, KenGen is required to carry out conservation and management activities of Ngong Forest while also carrying out mitigation measures identified in the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment study for the proposed construction of 10MW Ngong Phase IIIA wind project at Ngong Hill.

The project supports the commitment towards NETFUND 2 billion campaign where the company has pledged to plant and grow 400,000 seedlings per year.

Over the years, KenGen has supported initiatives to mitigate the effects of climate change while maintaining ecological balance. The initiatives such as the Green Initiative Challenge (GIC) launched in 2013 has been under the KenGen Foundation’s environmental pillar and community sensitization.

................Ends.................

Note to Editor:

About KenGen

Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC - KenGen is the leading electricity generation company in Eastern Africa region with an installed generation capacity market share of more than 60%. The company’s primary business is to provide safe, reliable, and competitively priced electric energy for the country in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner while creating value for its stakeholders.

Today, KenGen PLC has an installed generation capacity of 1,818MW, of which over 86% is drawn from green sources namely: Hydro (826MW), Geothermal (713MW), Thermal (253MW), and Wind (25.5MW).

For media queries please contact:

Frank D. Ochieng, Tel:0721816896

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Davis Chirchir - Cabinet Secretary, Energy and Petroleum

@_DavisChirchir

CABINET SECRETARY, ENERGY AND PETROLEUM- KENYA

Mr. Davis Chirchir is the Cabinet Secretary in charge of Energy and Petroleum in Kenya. He provides policy, oversight and leadership in the corporate institutional framework of the Ministry. The institutions under this framework include:

Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC)
National Oil Corporation of Kenya (NOCK)
Kenya Petroleum Oil Refineries (KPRL)
Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA)
Kenya Electricity Generating Company PLC(KenGen)
The Kenya Power and Lighting Company PLC (KPLC)
Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC)
Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO)
Geothermal Development Company (GDC)
Energy Tribunal
Nuclear Power and Energy Agency (NuPEA)
Independent Power Producers (IPPs).

He has in-depth experience in project development, management and execution and is skilled in strategic analysis and financial management

Mr. Chirchir previously led the Ministry in the same capacity from 2013 to 2015. This is therefore his second appointment as the Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum; a testament to his in-depth understanding of the sector and the impact he had. Prior to his nomination and appointment as the Cabinet Secretary, he was the Chief of Staff to the Deputy President.

He was also a Commissioner at the Interim Independent Electoral Commission (IIEC) where he spearheaded the introduction and application of information technology and reform initiatives in voter registration and election results management.

This was preceded by his role as General Manager at Kenya Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (KPTC) where he coordinated the restructuring of KPTC to create Telkom Kenya, Communication Commission of Kenya, Postal Corporation of Kenya and staff Pension Fund. He also coordinated the privatization of Telkom Kenya and establishment of Safaricom. He was a member of the Technology Committee at Nairobi Stock Exchange and supported the computerization of the Central Depository and Trading System.

Mr. Chirchir holds a Masters of Business Administration in International Management from Royal Holloway School of Management, University of London. He also holds a postgraduate diploma in Tele-traffic Engineering and a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and Physics from the University of Nairobi.

Kamau Alex Wachira - Principal Secretary

@_AlexKamauWachira

Alex Kamau Wachira - Principal Secretary

The Principal Secretary joins the State Department for Energy with a wealth of experience from the private sector where he worked variously as an investment banker. His latest assignment was with Faida Investment Bank where he traded and structured Treasury bonds and Corporate bonds at the Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE). Other assignments include working with Dyer & Blair Investment Bank and Genghis Capital limited in the same capacity.

PS Wachira has served in various leadership’s positions right from his university days. He was a founding member of the Bonds Market Association as well as a member of the Steering Committee of the Kenya Association of Stock Brokers and Investment Bankers (KASIB). His contribution to the Bond’s market saw him being appointed to the Central Depository Project at the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK). In 2021, the project dealt in government securities worth 900 billion, the highest turnover ever in Kenya.

The PS launched his career in the financial sector after participating in the issuance of the Safaricom IPO in 2008 where he interned. He had prior completed a Bsc Degree course from the University of Nairobi. At Campus, he served as the Secretary General NUNSA and Treasurer for the Confederation of Medical Students Association. He is currently pursuing an MA in Leadership at Pan African Christian University.

A strong believer in servant leadership through community engagement and development, in that position, the PS was able to spearhead initiatives such, as free medical camps for Cancer Screening, Tree planting, Youth Mentorship Programmes, and Sports Tournaments among others. Born and bred in Kieni Constituency, Nyeri County, the PS is a family man who’s strict up bringing is instrumental in shaping him into the person he is.