Skip to main content

Are you looking for somehere to dump your electronic waste, karibu Kenya, hakuna matata

Kenya, unlike xenophobic South Africa, has been known to be very welcoming to foreigners. We are so welcoming that even at the height of post election violence, we still preferred welcoming them to living with the neighbors we had lived with since we were born.

We have continued with this tradition in this era of globalization and digitization that we are now accepting their electronic waste.In fact, we are so good that we are ranked alongside China and India by wikipedia. Electronic waste end up in Kenya mainly thtough the following ways:
  • Donations to schools and instituitions through some large organisations
  • They are assembled in clones and second hand computers for sale
  • Electronic waste may be send top Kenya for processing
Clones are the computers which are mostly unbranded and assembled by small scale assemblers in Kenya or the east. Also note that alsthough the casing might bear brands such as Digitek, mpaq, xcess or the like, mostly printed, this are also clones since thoise are just manufacturers of the case. The components inside the case will be from different manufacturers in most cases.
common components include motherboards from mercury and via processors.

By my observation, the largest source of e-waste is CRT monitors, which are shipped and sold cheaply here. typical prices are between 2000 and 4000 kshs compared to ksh. 12,000 for a decent environment friendly TFT-LCD.

The above image shows a CRT(Cathode Ray Tube) on the left vs a TFT-LCD (Thin Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Display ) and their power consumptions. A TFT-LCD consumes upto 70% less power than a CRT.

Most of the computers that we buy at very cheap prices, and most of those computers that were donated to your neighbouring school arent waht they seem to be. Matter of fact, this are elecronic rejects from Europe, USA , Australia and Singapore. Infact, some of them usually have company brandings and logos from their countrys of origins.

This countries have implemented stringent laws to curb on disposal and dumping of such wastes. infact, you have to pay for disposal of such wastes, or "donate" them to Kwa Nzili primary school somehere in Kitui(is this in china) where they will go a long way towards helping poor students attain important IT education.You may also pay for disposal of the waste, and then the waste will be imported by some shady business mane, who will be making ICT affordable to all by selling you a pentium II unit at Ksh. 4000 complete.
Bargain, well not, a pentioun II will run windows XP with difficulty, and little or no other current programs on top. it will be just a toy fro your kid to play with his pirated copy of Need For Speed II SE on top of a pirated copy of Windows 98 several times.

This waste will continue stock piling in our country as we sit back and enjoy the low prices and donations for the moment.What happens when we realize we do not need this stuff, or it breaks down, as they always do, since it was refurbished.

We will burn it, releasing heavy metal such as lead, mercury, cadmium or bromine into the environment.We also lack any guidelines here for dealing with such wastes, leave alone any processing plants.

Meanwhile, the people in charge of e-waste disposal in the developed world are laughing all the way to the bank as they are paid to dispose off waste which they "donate" or resell to you.

so its up to you and me to correct this by at least trying the following:
  • At least buy a pentium IV (4) computer with around 2.0 ghz speed , the rest are pretty too old to be of much help to you
  • try buying a TFT monitor as compared to an LCD one
  • try buying new items, or at leaste refurbished items from companies such as HP,Dell, Compaq and others which have good e-waste aqnd pollution preventable measures
The goverment shoul come up with a department to control this problem, and a measure taxing old electronic parts would also go a long way. For example, I think that CRT monitors hsould be taxed to price them at par with TFT monitors.

what do you think of this blog. you can e mail me at gramware@gmail.com or my other e-mail addreses to voice your opinions.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Nairobi's Top 4 Texas Brisket Places Reviewed and Ranked

Brisket on a bed of roast vegetables with barbecue sauce at Texas Brisket, Kikuyu  This review has been updated after a number of you suggested I try the brisket at County2County.  What's the best place to have Brisket in Nairobi? What's even brisket?  Brisket is one of the toughest cuts in a cow, from around the belly. It is so tough that it has to be smoked for about 16 hours to tenderise. But that there, is the catch.  12 to 16 hours later, it is the most flavourful and softest cut you will ever have. So full of flavour and so soft you can pick it apart with your fingers.  However, due to the long cooking time involved, only a few places offer brisket in Nairobi.  The best so far is Texas Brisket which is located within Kikuyu Railway station.  They do the meat for a proper 16 hours, and will usually have a fatty or non-fatty portion. The fatty portions are more tasty. A 500 gram serving goes for KSh. 900 and a 1 KG order comes with a serving of free fries. Their brisket has
Post a Comment
Read more

Kenyan products: The art of punishing your consumer

This post was written in 2011. Facts may have and indeed have changed - but the conclusion has not.  Dormans instant coffee tastes better than Sasini instant coffee. Ramtons electronics are manufactured for Kenya's Hypermart Limited, yet maintain a high product quality Peanut butter used to taste so good, but you could not afford it on the pocket money that you got back in school. A few years later, you have your first real job and your first "disposable" income. You buy your first real tub of peanut butter, probably the first in your life. You feel proud that Dominion peanut butter is manufactured in Ruiru, a town that you visited in your campus days to withdraw your pocket money, it was the nearest bank ATM to your campus.  This was before Equity bank became a mainstream bank and decided to open an ATM in your campus, and before M-Pesa meant that you
Post a Comment
Read more

Best and Most Durable Highway SUV Tyres

Buying tyres is a dilemma - how do you get the best tyres without spending much more than is necessary?  If that's your dillema, well, you have come to the right place. We will look at tyres that are at the sweetspot of durability, performance and affordability especially for SUVs.  You'll find that most of my top picks are Asian brands. These tend to last longer and are more affordable. European brands are engineered more for comfort and ride quality. So if comfort is your top concern when buying tyres, I would recommend Pirelli and Michelin.  1. Otani   Otani is a little known tyre brand made in Dubai. It however rates quite highly for durability and hardiness, with most of its tyres coming in 'Extra Load' specification. Extra Load tyres are designed if you carry a lot of weight or if you do a lot of towing. Even if you don't, it means you end up with more hardy tyres than your manufacturer recommends. Propelling Otani to the top of my ranking is th
Post a Comment
Read more

Beers in Kenya: A sober opinion

Note: This is a dated post and has since been mostly passed by events. SAB Miller beers including Castle and Peroni are no longer widely available in Kenya after their exist. Sirville Brewery was bought out by Brew Bistro before being permanently shut in a tax dispute. Kenya is a land of milk, honey, beaches and taxes. I have penned, or is typed, a newer post here .  Peroni - One of the best beers in Kenya. Did a taste of canned and bottled Italian, and bottled Tanzanian I like the tangy flavour and body in Tanzanian Peroni. The can is close. Heineken drinkers will like the Italian one.  I have had a short beer swigging stint in my life. It has however been long enough for me to share my opinion of Kenyan beer. Interestingly, over the course of sharing such opinions with other drunkards connoisseurs,  I have found that we all have different views as to what beer is the best, which one makes you too drunk, or which one gives one free, extra hangover for every hangover you get
Post a Comment
Read more

Kenya Power customers suffer from Ksh 0.5 billion faulty prepaid meters

1st Phase Actaris prepaid meters , which work well Kenya Power is a famous company in Kenya, one which draws what my colleagues in media will call "mixed reactions". While those in urban areas such as Nairobi regard Kenya Power as a very unreliable firm, I have heard of villages in rural areas where blackouts go unreported for even 3 days . To the rural people, recent electrification means that at least they get to get electricity for some days, which is better than no electricity. In urban areas, the story is not any different. Around Imara Daima along Mombasa Road, power is mostly reliable, with blackouts been few in a week, and even at times been less than 10 in a month. In other places in the city, blackouts are a daily occurrence, and in some places, the blackouts are more than meals, counting two teas , breakfast, lunch and dinner. Another aspect about Kenya Power is the prepaid meters, which like the firm, are equally loved and hated. Ever since I became prou
Post a Comment
Read more