Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Student Engineer June 2009n
Student Engineer June 2009n
Student Engineer June 2009n
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A J o u r n a l O f T he E n g i n ee r i n g S t u d e n t s A ss o c i at i o n , U n i v e r s i t y O f N a i r o b i
A s
From The Dean
I look back to the humble beginnings of this magazine, I must appreciate and commend the strides that have
been made towards bringing about the improvements that have been achieved. Someone made a statement to the ef-
fect that “if you want to hide something from Kenyans, put it in print”. The implication of this statement is that many
Kenyans do not read! I cannot vouch for the truth of this statement; however it is my desire and hope that this mag-
azine will carry such articles that will inspire us to keep reading it. This is indeed a serious challenge for the edito-
rial board, but looking at what has been done, I would like to believe that the board is up to the job. I would like to
see issues brought up in the magazine that inspire “upcoming engineers” to think and dream innovation and enterprise
as we focus on the “vision 2030”. Let this magazine be the medium through which the aspirations for the future can
be ventilated; who knows, some ideas may take root and bear fruit for the betterment of the lives of wananchi.
The Inbox
Prof. Patts M. A. Odira
W hats up the student engineer? Big up for the good job you have been doing in keeping the students abreast of the industry
happenings. I however wish to take issue with some of your articles. To be particular the article on on Mau Forest and the electric
car in your previous issue. One cant help realizing that this is some bunch of downloaded material from the Internet. My honest
opinion is that you should advise your writers to employ some originality in their writing.
Kelvin Omolo
Mechanical engineering 2nd year.
I agree that some of the articles you read have partly been phished from the internet. The internet is a vast source of
information through which some of our writers come across this information and interpret it on our journal. We chal-
lenge you to also contribute to the better content to avoid this sort of dilution.
T he excellent job being done by the editorial board of the student engineer journal can not pass unmentioned. I have read your
last two editions and I cant wait to see whats on the pink column of the Engineering woman in your next edition. I suggest that
you go a step further and include female Engineers in your interview section. Keep up the good job!
Victoria Bwatuti
Electrical engineering 4rth year.
C ongratulations the student engineer for being true to the students and always delivering on time your editions of the journal.
I however think that your journal does not give a balanced coverage across all the five departments at the school of engineering.
Massive coverage seems to be awarded to the departments of Electrical and Bio systems while the other departments get not more
than one page. Please look in to that.
Ng'ethe samuel,
Geospatial and Space Technology 5th year.
The issue of balance has bugged us through the last three editions. We wish to call upon the students to help us fix this
once and for all. This is a student journal and 60% of what is published comes from the students. It is your responsibil-
ity as students to send in articles to be featured for your respective departments.
Iindividual
have been thrilled by the writer of Civil Engineering articles in your last two editions. One gets a feeling that including such an
in a policy making position will set things on track for our country. I look forward to his next piece and kudos to the
student engineer journal for providing a platform on which to air these crucial matters.
Ouso J. A.,
Civil Engineering 3rd year.
Iskillshopeamong
your publication is still going strong. Food for thought: How do we use the publication to ‘increase interest in technology
the youth? Hope to read from you.
G.P. Kalerwa, National Council for Science and Technology
Thank you for the enquiry Mr. Kalerwa. What we have been doing is highlighting success stories of the few youth
who’ve gone the technology path. It is our hope and desire that these stories will inspire the youth towards the same
path. We are however open to suggestions from your side.
Send your feedback via studentengineer@ymail.com
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A J o u r n a l O f T he E n g i n ee r i n g S t u d e n t s A ss o c i at i o n , U n i v e r s i t y O f N a i r o b i
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A J o u r n a l O f T he E n g i n ee r i n g S t u d e n t s A ss o c i at i o n , U n i v e r s i t y O f N a i r o b i
Highlights News
Is The future killings alleged to have been carried
out by this unit motioned the demon-
Ericsson Graduates
strators to chanting the now clarion call Recruitment,
Really that has been echoed by members of
Civil Society, “Ali Must Go!”. Ericsson Kenya held their
Here Major General Hussein Ali is
the Police Commissioner of the
first graduate recruitment fair at the
Sarit Centre expo hall on the 14th of
Kenya Police. May 2009. This program being held for
O n the 10th
of March 2009,
They took the opportunity to
also voice their protest on the
the first time in Kenya but a regular in
other countries where the company is
well established brought together over
students of the several issues that have tainted 1000 graduating students from dif-
University of the 'Grand Coalition's' gover- ferent colleges and universities in the
Nairobi held a nance of the state.
demonstration
across the Central Contrary to the history of
Business District in protest of the SONU (Students' Organization of Nai-
murders of Oscar Kamau King’ara and robi University) demonstrations, this
John Paul Oulu (GPO, a student) of the one was a relatively peaceful protest
Oscar Foundation that took place right save for the few incidents by rogue
in the campus grounds. These murders demonstrators towards the end of the
march.
We -and I believe
I speak with the
majority of the country. The students were educated on
student population- various functional units of the Ericsson
are deeply unsatis- company and later given internship ap-
fied by the actions plication forms. The aim was to recruit
of our political 15 graduates to join the company. The
leaders under event was officially opened by the Min-
whose author- ister for Information and Communica-
ity we placed our tion Hon. Samuel Poghisio, who called
beloved country only to be damned by upon other companies in the country to
are alleged to be linked to the Mungiki emulate ericsson’s example and provide
Sect and are also alleged to have been tales of grand corruption, impunity and
even murder! Jobs for the youth.
committed by a unit of the police force.
This among many other extra-judicial
N
come to Africa). nation with The University and also the
Our task as the University of wondrous facilities of the new FabLab.
Nairobi and more specifically as the
ow that the School of Engi- WAZA Platform in this film is to see You can follow the progress log on
neering is host to the Make Anything the actualization of the Electric Vehicle Edward Obiko's Blog at http://omin-
Yoy Want outfit – the Fab Lab- the first around which the synopsis of the film goobiko.blogspot.com
major undertaking is going to be one to is based. The School of Mechanical
Engineering some years ago wanted to
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A J o u r n a l O f T he E n g i n ee r i n g S t u d e n t s A ss o c i at i o n , U n i v e r s i t y O f N a i r o b i
News Highlights
IEK Dinner Dance if the chief formatted the hard disk of
the laptop and who pays for the texts THE CCK PUBLIC LEC-
This years IEK annual dinner you receive notifying you when a new
dance went down traditionally at the line is inserted in your stolen phone. TURE ON CONSUMER
Intercontinental Hotel with a massive Career Talks EDUCATION
student representation from the Univer-
sity of Nairobi, school of engineering. S tudent associations stepped T he Electronics and ICT
The event was addressed by among up their efforts in the linkage of the stu- Club on 20th may 2009 hosted
others the Chairman of the Institution dents to the industry. This was evident the Communications Commission of
of Engineers of Kenya, Eng. Francis from the increased number of career Kenya at the Exhibition Hall (JKML)
Ngokonyo and the Assistant Minister talks including two mini career days for a public lecture on consumer pro-
for Roads, Hon. Lee Kinyanjui. Despite in the past year. In December 2008, tection in the ICT industry. The event
their massive presence the student fra- EIC(Electronics and ICT Club) orga- was open to the general public and
ternity was however left out from the nized the first ever engineering career was attended by among other lectur-
program. This raised questions on the day that featured Jamii Telcom, Comtec ers, Dr. Gakuru Mucemi the Patron of
connection between student engineers Networks, Power Technics and Stan- the Electronics and ICT Club. Before
and the country’s main engineering dard Chartered Bank. ESA followed the start of the talks, interested persons
body. suit organizing a joint career Talk had a chance to be guided through the
Laptop And Phone Track- session in April 2009 that feature Eng. application of internships to Microsoft
Wanjohi and the Business incubate pro- partners through the WECA portal.
ing Device gram. On various occasions the Dean,
A Kenyan company, East School of Engineering has applauded
these efforts acknowledging them as
WHY THE FISHERMAN
African Data Handlers claims to have
a means of keeping the students in the WILL THANK THE
developed software to track a stolen
laptop or mobile phone. The ujanja know. STUDENT ENGINEER
tracking technology is installed on a
laptop hard disk or incorporated in a
phone firmware. The new technology
employs GPRS over existing GSM
mobile phone service operators. The
lap top tracker is said to indicate the
location of the laptop whenever the
thief connects to the internet. The
phone, on the other side, will notify the
owner (on an alternative line provided
earlier) as soon as the thief changes
their phone no. the information you
get on the alternative line is the new
number inserted in your phone. Several
questions, however, arise such as what
Pascal katana, a fourth year student
at the department of electrical and
information engineering developed
an electronic trap that lures fish into
there captivity. The trap employs
amplification; amplifying the sound
made by fish while feeding, and GPRS/
GSM signaling; upon the fishing net’s
weight reaching a set figure, a signal is
triggered automatically through an em-
bedded mobile phone to a designated
number. This alerts the fishermen with
the number indicating the positioning
of the fish.
Katana, now popularly known as the
inventor presented the project at the na-
tional scientific conference in Nairobi’s
KICC.
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A J o u r n a l O f T he E n g i n ee r i n g S t u d e n t s A ss o c i at i o n , U n i v e r s i t y O f N a i r o b i
Interview
Samo Engineer Profile
David Svarre
C.E.O.
Digital Age Insti-
T
tute
he Japs have an old say-
ing, “A man is the room he is in.”Well,
they never met David Svarre, C.E.O. of
Digital Age institute, co-founder and
Director of Scandinavian Computer
Recruitment. Raison d’être? Read on.
8
ware development level in Kenya, and new.” Our curriculum is revised on av-
are companies excited to use Kenyan D: Originally, we knew we wanted to set erage annually and often pegged on the
Software development companies too? up a Software Development Center in City & Guilds curriculum. Also, in this
Kenya. So in 2004 we did the surveys, Global village, any High Educations
D: There are roughly 4000 Software de- in 2005 we had a location that happened Board has a moral obligation to keep
velopers in Kenya, only 400 know what to be View Park Towers. Strategically, an eye out for new technology, those
they are doing. We need to change that; we were confident. We had envisioned a that succumb to the inertia of not revis-
we should have at least 16000 Software World Class center that offered Software ing their curriculum will be severely
developers who know what they are do- creation at the highest International plane punished by an ever googling world.
ing. On the second question, Kenyan possible and also coupled as a B.P.O. Digital Age makes sure you get the best.
companies are some of our biggest cli- As I conclude and we fade into
ents. They appreciate and understand S: Successes? important tips on Entrepreneurship and
the need for a cohesive relationship. David’s well calculated look on life, I’m
D: Digital Age has come a long way but sucked back into passing realms of that
S: As a B.P.O. Pre-fibre optic cable. the most straight forward indicator of our old movie. Call it bad déjà vu, but I feel
How does this affect your company’s successes is our students. Once they have like Wesley Snipes listening and learning
revenue margin? a certificate from Digital Age the market from the older wiser and graying Sean
can’t wait to swallow up our students. Connery. From David’s views of busi-
D: Software development is not heavily ness, his tech savvy look and the way
or entirely dependent on speeds or band- S: Software is ever changing, how do you he articulates his ideas. His courtesy, in-
width, our business model is such that keep up, how do you make sure your cur- sight, smarts, the respect well aligned in
whereas call centers are expensive due riculum is relevant and that your students his voice. Core themes to both the mov-
to Satellite connectivity, we don’t have are at the fore-front of this information? ie and the Japanese way of life. I sud-
such expenses and it gives us a way denly remember the name of that movie.
out to focus on earning Hard currency. D: We monitor new technology al- The Rising Sun. It wouldn’t be too tacky
ways before implementing a curricu- to call him The Rising San would it?
S: Tell us about Digital Age the college? lum. “We don’t teach just because it is (San-Jap for Mr.)
Telecommunication
Manufacturing
Information Communication Technology
Building and Construction
Energy
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A J o u r n a l O f T he E n g i n ee r i n g S t u d e n t s A ss o c i at i o n , U n i v e r s i t y O f N a i r o b i
Femme
Angela Hiuhiu
B Engineering Woman
ack in primary school, during
my physical education lesson my class teacher welcome to hold me on this; in the next two going three
took the liberty of teaching us an iota on self years we will have a re-engineered female version of
defense. Then, I rolled my eyes and in my head Bill Gates or better still a relentless Wangari Maathai.
I was at loss of words “What is he trying out?” You are probably laughing in contempt thinking that
On retrospect, he must have understood the am being an illusionist. I do realize that this will take
consequences of lack of defense. If any woman time and if you hold your breathe you might choke but
has not been hit by the latest moving “bug” I guarantee you of not having a cardiac arrest.
called independent craze, there is no need to
worry. Sources claim its speed of infection is I urge all engineering women to break all
higher than that of any Kenyan teenager aping boundaries hindering their success and exploit their tal-
a preferred image of an icon in the music or ents. We should not be easily contented with raw deals.
Hollywood industry. As we take over the Engineering in future making it
trendy to be no longer considered as a course reserved
On the flip side, its anti-bug needs no for the geeks and nerdy, learning its art and producing
download or constant upgrading and as a mat- craft that blows the public away beyond measures let it
ter of fact it’s quite easy to come along. Luck- be done wisely.
ily for us we have FIDA that fiercely combats
this anti-bug. In law it’s said that ignorance is Nothing is more hilarious than an intellect
no excuse. FIDA has taken the bulls by its horn woman who is not wise.
and laid it all out for the women to compre- Lest its forgotten, we Engineering women are moving
hend their rights as well as empowering them at a speed of agitated bulls that just spotted a red cloth!
on different ways of defense. By FIDA doing
so, they changed the perception of sorting dif-
ferences through fighting or verbal exchange
of words.
Everyone agrees with me that the statement
education is the key to success or anything to
that effect is the most repetitive line in any
family as we grew up through our education
period. Then again what is knowledge without
wisdom?
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A J o u r n a l O f T he E n g i n ee r i n g S t u d e n t s A ss o c i at i o n , U n i v e r s i t y O f N a i r o b i
A n earlier Princi-
pal Voice, Muhammad Yunus,
Fab Lab
transformed the economics of
development through micro-
finance, making investment
accessible to grass-roots en-
trepreneurs. Rather than big
Arrives...
businesses arriving top-down
from global corporations or
investors, microfinance allows
large numbers of small busi-
nesses to be driven bottom-up
by local dreams and demands.
There will not be a better op- different materials but also to This inventory is continuously
portunity to be at the Faculty invent, design and create whole evolving, towards the goal of a
of Engineering, University of machines. One goal of the Fab fab lab being able to make a fab
Nairobi, than the one we are Lab is to be able to create an- lab.
about to realize with the ar- other Fab Lab from itself! Fab labs provide wide-
rival of the much anticipated Fab labs share core spread access to modern means
Fabrication Laboratory. It is capabilities so that projects can for invention. They began as
our chance to literally make be shared across them. This cur- an outreach project from MIT's
almost anything! rently includes: Center for Bits and Atoms
Let me save you the 'pep- -A computer-controlled laser- (CBA). CBA assembled mil-
talk' and delve straight into what cutter, for press-fit assembly of lions of dollars in machines for
you have probably been asking. 3D structures from 2D parts research in digital fabrication,
-A larger (4'x8') numerically- ultimately aiming at develop-
controlled milling machine, for ing programmable molecular
What is the Fab Lab? assemblers that will be able to
making furniture- (and house-)
sized parts make almost anything. Fab labs
The Fab Lab is basically
-A signcutter, to produce print- fall between these extremes,
a collection of tools and equip-
ing masks, flexible circuits, and comprising roughly fifty thou-
ment that leverage the power of
antennas sand dollars in equipment and
Digital Fabrication Techniques
-A precision (micron resolution) materials that can be used today
in the hands of the average inno-
milling machine to make three- to do what will be possible with
vative mind. They bridge digital
dimensional molds and surface- tomorrow's personal fabricators.
divide that is a gap between
mount circuit boards Fab labs have spread from
mainstream industrial produc-
-Programming tools for low-cost inner-city Boston to rural India,
tion facilities and the small scale
high-speed embedded proces- from South Africa to the North
entrants. Say, for instance, creat-
sors. of Norway, and now Kenya.
ing a simple mechanical replace-
These work with com- Activities in fab labs range from
ment part for a broken machine
ponents and materials optimized technological empowerment to
should not cost you the price of
for use in the field, and are peer-to-peer project-based tech-
the machine if it were pssible to
controlled with custom software nical training to local problem-
fabricate a replacement. With the
for integrated design, manufac- solving to small-scale high-tech
Fab Lab equipment, it is not only
turing, and project management. business incubation to grass-
possible to fabricate parts from
roots research.
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A J o u r n a l O f T he E n g i n ee r i n g S t u d e n t s A ss o c i at i o n , U n i v e r s i t y O f N a i r o b i
Feature
provide global access to capi-
tal and markets for businesses
incubated in fab labs, and a Fab
Academy is being accredited
for distributed degree programs
taught in the labs.
Launching a new fab lab re-
quires assembling enough of the
hardware and software inven-
tory to be able to share people
and projects with other fab labs,
posting the Fab Charter to pro-
vide context for doing that, and
contacting fab-info@cba.mit.
edu to be added to the fab lab
network.
Illustration 1: Equipment at Fablab in Uon. Clockwise, Laser Cutter, Vynil Cutter, High Intensity Microwave
Oven and Fab Computers
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A J o u r n a l O f T he E n g i n ee r i n g S t u d e n t s A ss o c i at i o n , U n i v e r s i t y O f N a i r o b i
13
www.s2bprogram.com/weca
14
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A J o u r n a l O f T he E n g i n ee r i n g S t u d e n t s A ss o c i at i o n , U n i v e r s i t y O f N a i r o b i
Feature
Samo
Garry Kasparov
growth in Africa, companies in Kenya,
South Africa, Nigeria and to a lesser ex-
munication, downsizing their revenues
and what everyone thought would be a
V
F
tent Tanzania, are hard at work investing huge splash in the sea, left a lot of inves-
in the new technology. Let’s play some tors in the red. It is obviously expected
chess… Garry Kasparov (satellite)-the that satellite will change their strategy,
orget about them for a second, world’s leading chess player for the last from currently switching African traffic
now- 21 years to-let’s call him Vladimir Putin out of Europe to moving their teleports
Fibre optics, fibre optics, fibre optics. (Fibre), the new kid on the block. Game? to Africa, where their will act as a back-
Everyone is yelling out- fibre optics! haul for inter country and rural connec-
I mean, last year both Obama and Mc- FIBRE’S MOVE: tivity, utilizing the submarine cables for
Cain in the Primary Debates equated If the hype in the literacy cor- their long - haul international capacity.
availability of Bandwidth in the U.S. ridors, the constant talk of B.P.O’s and
to a right. With such verbose, I’d think the question mark in our eyes when Na- SATELLITE’S MOVE:
it was. kumatt went 24 hours are anything to Despite this, satellite corpo-
write home about, then the public is ful- rations do not seem to be fazed by the
What about satellite, what happens ly aware of the potential of Fibre Optics. potential threat brought on by cables.
when fibre and satellite go head – to It is common knowledge that Alcatel This is highly reminiscent of when
head to feed a continent of new applica- – Lucent has deployed various subma- Richard Branson’s Virgin tried to start
tions, people and Governments hungry rine cables throughout the world, two of a soft drink Company in Coca Cola’s
for bandwidth? You’ve seen them, out- which are in South America and Asia. backyard-The US. They had the same
side Campus, around the corner, men in It can also be seen that with broadband reaction till Virgin started making
yellow clad digging up the trenches, yes in particular, fibre is the more popular some real gains and Coca Cola set up
- fiber optic cables and maybe you have solution. Entrepreneurs are making the a SWAT team to deal with them. R.I.P.
heard of gestation
satellites. Have you?
So what happens
now, that we are
ready for a full out
war, are you aware
of the benefits, of
which side to be on
or are you waiting
for an ad. I’ll prom-
ise you this, they
are coming a dime a
dozen. So, welcome
to Fibre vs. Satellite.
We know this for a
fact, - after staring
at your e-mail for
the last five minutes
as you wait for it to
load-that the effec-
tive high speed inter-
net service required
for critical business-
es, government and
consumer applications have remained decision to replace existing satellite Is it the same for the Satellite Cor-
either unavailable or very expensive. lines by submarine fibres. This is hap- porations or what is their logic?
pening in Islands and small territories Satellite Corporations say that although
That “Government’s aware- where they are being connected via sub- fibre can provide cheaper band width,
ness of this situation and the per- marine fibre. A case in point is Rwanda. its limitations are the same of conven-
ceived commercial attractiveness of Why? tional infrastructure in the rough ter-
the opportunity to close this gap, has rains and deserts of Africa. So while
given rise to the current frenetic ac- Well, since telecom`munication cable can provide an effective solu-
tivity for construction of submarine was previously heavily reliant on expen- tion for African’s coastal countries,
fibre cables on the continent” This is sive satellite systems. Kenyan B.P.O.’s it is still unlikely to provide these be-
according to BMI TechKnowledge. like Kencall were incurring huge expens- nefits to regions that lie further inland.
Cost effective communication is spurring es for having to deal with Satellite com- Now, let’s take the case of International
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A J o u r n a l O f T he E n g i n ee r i n g S t u d e n t s A ss o c i at i o n , U n i v e r s i t y O f N a i r o b i
V
s Vladmir Putin
Organizations – such as those involved
in the raw materials industries for ex-
ample –it can be argued that the only
way for them to achieve a seamless and
Satellite clearly has benefits especial-
ly when it comes to remote and rural
connectivity. But fibre offers plenty
of bandwidth at a cheaper price. Can
ect. A map of the ocean for where the
cable will be laid is obtained through
surveying work which includes ob-
stacles and activities that might inter-
cost – effective ICT application solu- satellite match these offering? Satel- fere or cause problems to the cables.
tion is to use satellite. Only satellite lite can do literally anything that fibre Specialized ships carry out the installa-
can reach everywhere, linking the only can but with the availability to pro- tion of cables and some even have remote
exploration site office with corporate vide it anywhere, on reliable basis operated vehicle (ROV) capability suit-
HQ on the other side of the world and with the best capacity solutions to sup- able for deep sea operations. These ships
corporate petrol stations countrywide port video, network and voice require- can lay cables at speeds of about 15kmph
or internationally. Therefore, satellite is ments. Satellite has offered distance in deep oceans at depths down to 7,000m.
more than essential. More than essential. learning and telemedicine extending
According to BMI – Techknowledge’s cellular networks into remote areas. A ZOGS WONG?
Neither so-
lution is providing
the perfect answer
as yet. For exam-
ple, while cheaper
fibre networks will
lead to the use of
higher band width
applications and
improve connec-
tivity along the
African coast it is
predicted to lead to
higher expectations
from corporate cus-
tomers. It can be
expected as seen
from other coun-
tries like South Af-
study, although countries on the African Satellite – based communication has rica, that the arrival of fibre to a country
west and southern coasts have access to caught up with today’s high band width often results in an increased demand to
fibre connectivity an estimated 80 per cent demands and satellite is now broadband. satellite capacity and also significant
of the continent’s international voice and IP over DVB is the de facto standard for economies growth. This in turn drives
data traffics is still carried via satellite. broadband communications over satel- demand for additional satellite services
lite and such systems clearly demon- as businesses expand into the interiors of
The contribution of the technol- strate their greatest cost – effectiveness the country, where fibre has yet to reach.
ogy to carrying IP – based applications by matching the Asymetrix nature of
traffic is not only limited to parts of the internet traffic. Broadband connectivity Now technology giants are now
world, like the African continent, where via satellite provides for business the en- experimenting with a combination of the
there have been long standing limitations tire range of complex and bandwidth – two technologies more proactively. It
on the availability of bandwidth and ca- hungry applications with internet back- seems that connectivity in Africa has nev-
pacity over alternative platforms such as bone connections exceeding 45 Mbps. er been about fibre, it’s actually all about
international fibre, it also applies in the CHECKMATE? using the best blend of satellite, wireless
most highly fibred market in the world. The vulner- and fibre technologies to create secure,
I’m talking about the United States, one ability of the technology. reliable high – quality connectivity so-
of the most fibred regions and yet home Last year, a ship sailed into a fibre optic lutions that give customers a commer-
to the largest population of VSATs. cable resulting in the loss of connec- cial advantage in their choice industry.
Why? tion for much of Asia and Africa. This Only time will tell if fibre will live up to
Global connectivity is driv- provides that undersea cables are not the expectations but it has not knocked
ing the market and with regard to foolproof and also highlights the fact satellite out of the sky just yet nor is it
VSAT networks it is abut access. that we are not quite ready to abandon likely to anytime soon. Whether Garry
The proposed African fibre rollout satellite completely. It is worth noting Kasparov will be kicked on his butt or
will not end the VSAT market be- that the deployment of the cables is not we will have a new reigning champion
cause it cannot adequately fulfill cheap or easy. The installation of un- is an issue of time. Time wins this bout.
the VSAT user’s aim requirement dersea cables needs to be well planned Talk about relativity. Einstein wins!
– point to – multipoint connectivity. and often classified as a mega proj-
17
A J o u r n a l O f T he E n g i n ee r i n g S t u d e n t s A ss o c i at i o n , U n i v e r s i t y O f N a i r o b i
W
the government is doing a lot to im-
and full clover leafs or directional
hile I agree that Rome prove existing highways. Thika road
interchanges at Autobahn crossings.
was never built in one day its impor- for example, is being expanded into
Interchanges are generally well
tant to realize that Rome started one multi-lane dual carriageway with
spaced, sometimes exceeding 30 km
day. In that line, I could share a lot multi-grade interchanges to replace
between.
on roads on the platform of the Ke- roundabouts.
-Grades of 4% or less. Climbing
nya we want. As a critical stimulus lanes are provided on most steep
of growth roads in Kenya should be The case of Germany pres-
grades.
upgraded. From the few highways ents the best example we can learn
-Gentle and well-banked curves.
we have (class A roads) we should from. Good planning is a necessity
-Freeze-resistant concrete or bitumi-
create autobahns. for us to achieve this kind of infra-
nous surface.
structure. The total Autobahn net-
-Roadbed and surface measuring
Autobahn is a Germany work was at 11,712 km in 2001 and
about 68 cm (27 inches) in thick-
word used to refer to what other 12,044 km in 2004. This makes the
ness.
countries call expressway. Express- Autobahn network the world's third
-Frequent parking areas, often
ways are also known as freeways largest superhighway system after
equipped with toilet facilities.
or motorways. These types of roads the United States and China.
-Extensive and ample service areas
are designed to offer highest level of featuring filling stations, restaurants,
service. With these kinds of roads in The design and hotels.
Kenya one can work in Nairobi and The general rule for design is to provide
-Automated traffic and weather
join the family for supper in Mom- for unimpeded, high-speed traffic monitoring and electronic signs pro-
basa. This way family members with flow. Unimproved older segments viding dynamic speed limits and/or
non-formal employment can engage aside, most Autobahns feature the advance warning of congestion, ac-
in farming activities in the coun- following design elements: cidents, construction, and fog.
tryside without missing their loved -Two, three, or occasion- -Emergency telephones at 2 km in-
ones. ally four lanes per direction. Lanes tervals.
on rural sections are generally 3.75 -Wildlife protection fencing, cross-
Traffic mobility is made meters wide except the left lane of over tunnels and "green bridges".
easy by this kind of facilities. These newer three lane segments-- it's 3.5
roads are not present in Kenya but meters wide. On urban sections, all
18
A J o u r n a l O f T he E n g i n ee r i n g S t u d e n t s A ss o c i at i o n , U n i v e r s i t y O f N a i r o b i
19
A J o u r n a l O f T he E n g i n ee r i n g S t u d e n t s A ss o c i at i o n , U n i v e r s i t y O f N a i r o b i
A
CHAIRMAN
Obonyo Cedric
s in the manufacture and maturity of wine,
time is always the best healer and at all times defines the crown VICE CHAIRMAN
and crest of any activity undertaken. Engineers have always Ismael Bett
been known to be the people who walk the talk. This in effect
makes us precise logical thinkers in all areas we indulge our- SECRETARY GENERAL
selves in both physically and mentally with everything geared Mbai Muchiri
to finding solutions.
The last one year of my administration in one scope can TREASURY
be characterized by solely making objectives a reality. The essence of having a per-
Lilian Kamanja
fectly working machine is at all times having each single component of the machine in
top notch condition as anyone would agree a chain is just as strong as its weakest link.
From career talks, exchange programs, study tours to the journal, invaluable effort has PUBLICITY SECRETARY
been put to make them a reality. The quest, thirst and never ending pursuit for knowl- Nyakiongora George
edge and venturing into the unknown will never be a walk in the park but always a strug-
gle where only the fit will live to see dawn. My advice to student engineers is ‘keep fit’. ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
My appreciation goes to all those who joined hands during my administration. I would Njuguna James
wish to send my strongest gratitude to the editorial board for making this journal a suc-
cess, Eng. McCorkindale for his continual assistance. I’d also like to thank Prof. B.N.K VICE ACADEMIC AFFAIRS SEC.
Njoroge :the principal College of Architecture and Engineering, Prof Odira :Dean School Abira Nancy
of Engineering, the entire outgoing ESA secretariat, Mrs. Hannah Mukuah Senior admin-
istrator School of Engineering and not to forget Mrs. Mumera for her unwavering support.
Finally I heart-fully extend my gratitude and utter respect to the Engineering Students for SOCIAL AFFAIRS
having faith in me and allowing me to serve them. God bless you all in your endeavors. Esther Ndeti
20
A J o u r n a l O f T he E n g i n ee r i n g S t u d e n t s A ss o c i at i o n , U n i v e r s i t y O f N a i r o b i
The Catalogue
be an interactive session with local network, and a "Play To"
the students, lectures and command sends an item to
DATE: 11TH OCTOBER 2008
New members trip to hells gate, mainly newly
joined first years
Organized by ESA
you plug them in, then pres- DATE: 28th MARCH 2009,
Students Have Their Say ent the appropriate options, Imagine cup presentation by Edward Obiko
such as offering to sync your 10.30AM- 12.00PM
21
A J o u r n a l O f T he E n g i n ee r i n g S t u d e n t s A ss o c i at i o n , U n i v e r s i t y O f N a i r o b i
The Batmobile in itself was impressive and the use of the sonar technology also to animate /visualize how many people
are lurking in a dark room with walls was highly impressive.
Its an engineer’s movie and helps us ask ourselves if it is wrong to be imaginative, to be creative for we are walking into a world
that requires engineers to be ahead of the pack a la creative .To be The Joker.
It’s out on D.V.D.
For in this remarkable new book Gershenfeld, a director at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, presents a fascinating look at the future of computers, including carrying them
round in jackets and shoes.
It's possible because of fabric circuits powered through the human body. And it gives today
what Arthur C Clarke predicted for the next millennium. Gershenfeld presents an insight of
a wired future that is staggering in its ingenuity.
The paperless newspaper. The book without printed pages that can allow you to read any
volume ever produced, the electronics that enable you to see in all directions as you walk,
sensors that measure bodily functions--and display your condition on a "dashboard of the
body" as you move around. This is the stuff of the 21st Century. The incredible thing is that
it is already here.
Gershfeld maintains we have had the digital revolution, now it's time for the evolution in
which the people not the machines come to the fore. He makes a convincing case.
22
strA
iboriaN fO ytisrevinU , n o i ta i c o ss A s t n e d u t S g n i r ee n i g n E he T f O l a n r u o J A
Arusha is currently recording her first album, ‘Small Loving’…an album which will span the globe, from Colombia to
India via Kigali and Nairobi- where she has worked with local artists like Pentamony, Estelle Lannoy of Yunasi and Bizimana
Ntwali(song called NAKUGUNDA) and playing on radios in the U.S., N.Zealand, Spain and Austria-to be released on itunes.
www.myspace.com/arushatopazzini
www.reverbnation.com/arusha
www.reverbnation.com/bizi
23
A J o u r n a l O f T he E n g i n ee r i n g S t u d e n t s A ss o c i at i o n , U n i v e r s i t y O f N a i r o b i
The Flip is available in several different colour schemes, and comes bundled with a TV connector cable, wrist strap, carry case
and two AA batteries.
24
Pictorial
A J o u r n a l O f T he E n g i n ee r i n g S t u d e n t s A ss o c i at i o n , U n i v e r s i t y O f N a i r o b i
1. 2. 3.
4. 5. 6.
7. 8. 9.
10. 12.
11.
1. Daniel Kibe of Comtec Networks gives a speech during the career day
2. David Kiania of Ericsson has a chat with students at the Ericsson Career Day
3. Kayamba entertain guests at the IEK Dinner
4. EIC(Electronics and ICT club) group photo
5. Edward Obiko adresses the press at Microsoft Imagine Cup Launch
6. No bwana! we want our money!
7. Fun fun and more fun, at the source of river nile jinja
8. Dr. Kamau Gachigi and Vincent Musau set up the Fab Computers
9. Students campaigning for a candidate aboard a Matatu in CBD
10. Drinks at the Kampala Museum.
11. Group photo at makerere university
13.
12. Students follow proceedings during the EIC organized Engineering career day
13. Ingoho does wonders, Mr. Editor-in-Chief, at IEK Dinner
25
A J o u r n a l O f T he E n g i n ee r i n g S t u d e n t s A ss o c i at i o n , U n i v e r s i t y O f N a i r o b i
Habwe Josiah
Finito
We are assured you are undoubtedly ripe for, scares stiff.
What Americas
of fairness and
justice in our Stark reality, this. Forty years
dealings with after independence we are still unable
the law no more to galvanize ourselves as a people. Our
O
tive business ventures, or dealings with sue based and results oriented leadership,
n a trip to the US in late 2007, I was prospective employers. The government growth, technological advancement and
privileged to visit arguably, the world’s capital is this country’s single largest employer. eventual opportunity for new graduates.
city-New York. Pristine. A world apart, liter- There will always be that question at the Still, we wear our blue and orange
ally from Nairobi. On my return home, I was back of your mind as to whether you stripes beneath our white shirts months
asked to describe the essence of New York, missed that government job because after the division that tore us apart. The
and by extension, the United States. I went in the prospective employer did not like slightest disagreement sending us re-
deep repose hoping to capture that nation’s en- the ring of your last name or that he/she ceding to the confines and constraints
tirety in a singular anecdote-as that was what gravitated ‘home’ in his/her appointment. of our restrictive tribal cocoons. This,
was required of me. In retrospect, I feel that highlighting the degree of misguided
my response then was informed more by the Ideally, government ought to distrust amongst ourselves. An Achil-
goings-on in my country than the exceptional be the custodian and spring of policy les’ heel in our quest for advancement.
experience I had in the ‘land of opportunity’. that guides us and ensures an environ-
ment conducive for economic growth. Such is the perversion
As a country we were going through To discuss the government’s failures of politics in our national fabric.
an extremely exciting time. Edgy. Uncertain. as regards spurring economic growth, And the intrigues of fate! That oceans
Apprehensive. And I believed then, that we or spurring industry and technology- away a seed of Kenya is inspiring na-
were on the verge of true Change. And so, based growth so as to ensure more tions; revolutionizing the brand ‘poli-
my response as to what I thought the US opportunities for say, Engineers, will tics’ ; transcending race, class lines and
meant to me was that it was a place where require more space than my editor tribe whilst at home we suffer stifling
there existed harmonic co-existence between would allow. Our politics sinks us to politics puts us, as a nation, at cross-
entrepreneurship and politics. The two so new lows. Lowering our expectations roads with destiny. And for this reason
intricately intertwined, representing the pos- and eventually lowering our aspira- alone, if not for any other, we must be-
sibilities that both could ideally generate. tions. We end up desolate. Hopeless. gin to demand delivery, accountability
The reason why, oceans away, one man and raise the bar on the standards that
This particular sentiment was, and has electrified and inspired a whole must be met by our own political breed.
largely remains, apart from my conscious country and the world, is not because of
world view. I did not have much for poli- his impeccable record (for he has none And that the most talented
tics. Famously refrained as ‘a dirty game’, as long as his opponent’s) but is because young people begin to view politics as
I chose not to relate or involve myself in a he brings forth an aspect as intangible a means to a fundamentally better end.
cause that unabashedly described itself as as it is priceless. An aspect synonymous Not just in terms of ‘What can I accom-
‘dirty’. And this is the case for many young with his very self-Hope for Change. To plish for myself?’ but in terms of ‘What
people, growing up and seeking to make for many people, he represents the ideal- can I accomplish for my country?’ A
themselves what their parents didn’t for them. ism of politics. Politics as it should be. means to positive meaningful and tan-
gible change. And not shun it for the
Truth is, though, now as I sit and re- This is what as a country, murk that it is. Then we shall begin to
flect, politics is in our daily lives. It is in the we need. Hope. Hope for meaning- anticipate good tidings. For nations are
price of bread and milk that you buy in the ful positive change. I fear though, that spurred by hope. Ours must be reclaimed.
morning, in the determination of policy and we are so sunken that our otherwise
opportunity, in the relations you have with innate ability to hope for a better to- And yet, the Coup de Grace’.
friends and certainly is on your TV screens morrow has been lost. Instead we are The curtain call. The final walk off
every night-bestowed prime time. Be it world anxious of our present and skeptical Campus. My time is now, I- fully
politics or Kenyan politics-it is all in our faces. of the tidings the future might bear. aware that in the dark all cats are grey
and that from this vantage point, my
As a Kenyan, Final Year Student at And perhaps, rightly so. Ap- vision has never been a blur. I’m off
the University of Nairobi, I fear for the im- preciating the weighty bearing that poli- to reclaim that hope. A product of my
plications politics will have on my life as I tics has on our lives-and specifically us time I am, I know. I know. The odds
step out of the cocoon that is school life. At who will soon be graduating. That your stacked against me. I’m just a Fifth
this moment in our nation’s history, more than name could stir up resentment on the ba- year, a Fifth year taking his final breath.
any other time, we find ourselves more polar- sis of the happenings of early 2008 year,
ized along ethno-class lines than ever before. so much so as to cost you an opportunity I curtsey.
26
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