- Nov 16, 2015 11:00 AM GMT
Kenya’s Multilink Energy is to begin work building a 40MW solar power plant in Mai Mahiu after receiving greenlight from the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum to complete development process.
The plant will be located in Mai Mahiu, 50km west of Capital Nairobi using 200 acres of semi-arid land to produce 70GWh of clean energy a year.
A Saudi based energy company, Alfanar, will provide engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for the solar power plant.
MULTILINK Energy will be responsible for maintenance, and a separate solar asset management company, will oversee the plant’s operation.
Construction will also being carried out in partnership with local partners and electrical contractors.
“This project is the largest solar power plant in East Africa up to now, it is also an important demonstration of our comprehensive solar energy solutions to effectively deliver clean, affordable and reliable solar energy in Kenya,” said Michael, CEO of MULTILINK Energy.
Multi-link Group 
was represented at this year’s SOCAP14 by MD Michael Njoroge.
SOCAP (Social Capital Markets) is dedicated to increasing the flow of capital toward social good. Its unique approach emphasizes cross-sector convening and gathers voices across a broad spectrum to catalyze unexpected connections. From the leading edge to established players, SOCAP brings together global innovators, investors, foundations, governments, institutions, and social entrepreneurs to build the world we want to leave to future generations. This years Theme was “Igniting Change”. SOCAP actively seek out opportunities to accelerate the market at the intersection of money and meaning and, in pursuit of that goal, have convened more than 10,000 people since its founding in 2008. The 2014 flagship event took place September 2nd-5th at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco, USA.
Multi-link Group’s MD Michael visited China from May 18th 2014 during which he visited a number of Chinese stove manufacturing businesses and discussed potential areas of partnership and collaboration. During the visit Michael had an opportunity to address a well-attended GACC International Conference on the issue of South-South China Africa collaboration where he stressed the need for Chinese and African businesses to collaborate on stove design, manufacturing and assembly for mutual benefits and growth. This immensely rewarding trip was facilitated by the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves.
Multi-Link Group through Multilink Foundation has donated Ksh. 5 Million to Amani Children Centre in Uasin Gishu County. The money is meant to improve access and quality of education for needy students through support for scholarships, learning materials and construction of classrooms. The donation was received by the centre’s director Shadrack Kimani in the presence of the overjoyed children.
During the Annual General Meeting of the Clean Cookstoves Association of Kenya (CCAK) held at Panafric Hotel in Nairobi on 31st October 2013, Multi_Link Group Managing Director, Michael Njoroge, was elected as an official of the CCAK to serve as the National Vice Chairman for a period of 3 years. This is a great opportunity for him to bring the wealth of experience acquired in the last three years to enrich the sector.
CCAK is the Kenyan affiliate of The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves (GACC) which seeks to mobilize high-level national and donor commitments toward the goal of universal adoption of clean cookstoves and fuels. Its ambitious but achievable goal is to foster the adoption of clean cookstoves and fuels in 100 million households by 2020. The Alliance is mobilizing support from a wide range of private, public, and non-profit stakeholders.
Request for Proposals (RFP) Development of Website for the Clean Cookstove Association of Kenya
Background
The Clean Cookstoves Association of Kenya (CCAK) is a national association that strives to build solidarity amongst clean cookstove and fuel stakeholders and create effective partnerships to ensure the use of clean cookstoves and fuels is the norm in Kenyan households and institutions.
The CCAK’s mission is to facilitate the increased innovation in design, testing, production, marketing and use of clean cookstoves and fuel through better government policies, increased public awareness, micro-finance opportunities and capacity building through information sharing, training and campaigning. The CCAK is open to all types of stakeholders operating in the clean cooking and fuel sector including private sector, governmental, non-governmental organisations, academic, research and donors.
The CCAK is a partner of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, a public-private initiative led by the United Nations Foundation to save lives, improve livelihoods, empower women and preserve the environment by creating a thriving global market for clean cooking solutions.
The CCAK was formed in December 2012 during the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstove stakeholder workshop in Nairobi. The association is currently coordinated by an interim secretariat that are establishing the fundamental operations of the association and steering it towards its first AGM in which the executive committee and secretariat will be elected.
Activity Description
As part of the establishment process it is proposed that a website be created for the association to advertise its activities, provide information on the association and provide tools and useful resources. The website will have three main audiences;
1. Members of the CCAK wanting to access tools and resources.
2. Perspective members of the CCAK who want to find out more information about the association.
3. Perspective sector actors wanting to find out more information about the clean stove and fuel sector in Kenya
The website will provide information on the CCAK, its missions and objectives, activities and members. It will also contain information to perspective members on the application process. It addition the website will contain a range of tools and resources including interactive mapping of members activities, upcoming events and funding opportunities, updates on the progress of the Kenya Country Action Plan and latest research related to the sector in Kenya.
The selected firm should integrate analytical tracking tools for the administrators to generate reports on user profiles and relevant indicators. Search engine optimization for the portal to ensure directed traffic should also be included.
The website will be developed closely with the CCAK secretariat and its members to ensure it is useful for all types of stakeholders. The web portal should be intuitive, easy to use, and include a range of information.
The following content will need to be developed by the firm within logical, user friendly architecture:
· A directory of members of the CCAK giving details of the activities they are involved in, types of technology promoted areas of operation and contact details.
· An interactive map showing details of different projects in Kenya and organisations that operate in each area to allow members to easily access information about a particular region and useful contacts.
· Details of the CCAK application process and access to the application form.
· A section dedicated to the Kenya Country Action Plan (CAP), giving details of the planned interventions, activities that are taking place and progress in achieving these interventions.
· Details of working groups convened by the CCAK and their activities.
· A section dedicated to upcoming events and announcements of new opportunities.
· A resource section where existing and new reports and research related to the clean cooking and fuel sector in Kenya can be accessed.
Additionally, the following are the general requirements for the web portal:
· Ability to host pages in both English and Kiswahili, and where possible be designed to enable use of Google Translate functionality.
· Designed with consideration for users with low bandwidth capabilities and varying internet speeds. Possible solutions could be to have a “light version” of the website in order not to restrict functionality for all users.
· Seamless connection to materials and tools on the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves main website, for example the cookstoves and fuels performance inventory.
· Function for users to contact CCAK and provide feedback.
The firm will also submit a plan for the on-going maintenance of the site.
Timeline
The website must be ready for launch by the end of August 2013 and should be ready for user testing in early August. Following user testing, user feedback must be incorporated prior to launch.
Deliverables
· Web portal and one month of after launch service
· Demonstration to CCAK secretariat on how to navigate website and access to services
· Maintenance plan
· Analytics tracking and search engine optimization
Application Instructions
Interested applicants should submit a work plan no more than 8 pages describing the following:
– Proposed timeline and approach for completing the work, including a description of overall process. The detailed timeline should include milestones, key review and decisions points, as well as a plan for meeting the deadlines outlined above.
– Unique qualifications of the organization and its staff, such as: experience designing and developing websites. This should include examples of past websites and materials developed by this team.
– Itemized budget (note that indirect cost estimates may not exceed 10%).
– Outline of past experience conducting this kind of work.
– CV of consultant(s) who will work directly on this assignment.
The work plan should be submitted to Michael Njoroge at njoroge@multilink-kenya.com, no later than 29/04/2013.