Kenya gets nod to host regional training programme on nuclear safety

Kenya has secured the approval of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), an affiliate of the United Nations, to host a special regional post-graduate training in nuclear safety.

It will be the first time that Kenya is hosting the programme covering English-speaking African countries after Ghana which has conducted it 12 times.

The course, according to experts, is curated and designed to help solve some of Africa’s teething problems in health, energy and security. The five-month course targets professionals at the graduate level or equivalent and will start in October 2023.

On Friday, a team of experts that had been deployed to assess Kenya’s preparedness for the programme gave the country the nod but listed areas it needed to be addressed before the course kicks off. These include inadequate demonstration equipment and lack of experts in select areas of nuclear application.

Universities and selected hospitals have pledged logistical support in areas such as lecturer halls, labs and accommodation for course participants who will get full IAEA funding.

The Kenya Nuclear Regulatory Authority (KNRA) will be the ‘vision bearer’ of the programme and will oversee preparations in a process where Kenyatta University, Multimedia University, and 10 other local education and medical institutions will take lead roles.

Nuclear experts Sotiris Economides of Greece and Ghana’s Prof Augustine Faanu who had led the weeklong pre-course assessment presented their findings to KNRA officials led by Director General James Keter, Director Licensing and Standards Shadrack Kiti, Director for Partnerships and Public Awareness Edward Mayaka, Dr Sitawa Wattanga representing Multimedia University, Dr Nadir Hashim of Kenyatta University and officials from the Kenyatta National Hospital and the Nuclear Power and Energy Agency (NuPEA).

Mr Keter said Kenya is privileged to host the training, coming at a time that efforts are being made to ensure safe and secure utilization of nuclear technology.

 “It is historic. This will go a long way in building capacity for radiation protection. The journey started 12 months ago. We will work with the agency to deliver a comprehensive programme,” said Keter.

“Kenya feels privileged. We have put together a qualified team to help steer the programme. We have searched far and wide and even headhunted some of the experts to steer this first of a kind post-graduate training,” he added.

NuPEA Acting CEO Justus Wabuyabo said Kenya would continuously pursue knowledge that will add value to its nuclear programmes.

 “Kenya has the potential to emerge as a regional excellence center for nuclear education,” Mr Wabuyabo said in a speech read on his behalf by Mr Peter Ndungu who also represented the programme’s national liaison office.

KNRA chairman Omondi Anyanga welcomed the IAEA’s verdict on Kenya and said:

 “We are prepared to go the long haul. Part of our determination is to ensure we fully harness nuclear technology. Young Kenyan professionals should take a keen interest in the programme. The world has gone nuclear and Kenya has to be part of the journey,” he said.

The programme is also part of ongoing efforts to ensure full implementation of IAEA safety standards and code of conduct on the safety and security of radioactive sources. The Code provides guidance to nations on regulatory systems that should be put in place to provide for the protection of the persons and environment from the harmful effects of radiation.

The code’s provisions relating to the security of radioactive sources were strengthened in the light of the events of the September 11 terrorism attack in the US. Some of its provisions relate to import and export controls on radioactive and nuclear materials.

Prof Faanu, who’s the Director of Radiological and Non-Ionizing Directorate of the Ghana Nuclear Regulatory Authority who led the mission, expressed confidence that the programme will be off to a good start.

“We have made recommendations to Kenya which we hope will help guide preparations ahead of October when the programme is to start,” he said.

The team visited among others, the Inland Container Depot, the International Livestock Research Institute, KNRA national lab in Oloolua, Kenyatta University and the Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital.

The October course, according to IAEA, targets university graduates in physics, chemistry, life sciences or engineering with practical experience of radiation protection and the safe use of radiation sources. The initial intake will see at least 25 students admitted.

The training, among other things, helps countries get the expertise needed in building a robust regulatory framework for the oversight of nuclear power plants. Kenya hopes to have its first nuclear power plant in 2038.

IAEA runs several other capacity-building programmes, including an internet reactor lab that enable students from Kenya, Tanzania, Tunisia and South Africa to get online access to the facilities of a research reactor in Morocco for nuclear education and training.

Kenya had expressed interest to the IAEA headquarters in Vienna to host the course that experts have described as unique and highly sought-after. Calls for submission of applications will be made in due course and nomination for participation would also come from participating agencies where radiation sources are used.