Help bring solar wells to Kiuani Village, Machakos, Kenya

Hello, my name is Ken Oldrid. I am a project manager for a small solar company in upstate New York. I have been volunteering on solar projects for the last 15 years in Haiti, Puerto Rico, and Tanzania. These trips were organized and funded by different groups. I would try to do a 1-2 week volunteer trip every year. Of the 20 projects I worked on, four were solar-powered well systems. The others were off-grid solar systems. All of these brought electricity and water to Orphanages, schools and villages.

Over the last few years, I have been working on solar projects for the US Embassy in Kenya and Uganda. I made a lot of strong connections there. I see the need for solar-powered wells and off grid solar projects in these areas.

The need for this solar technology in the region is immense. Our focus here is on solar well pump systems. There are 4 locations for wells we are considering: 2 in Kenya and 2 in Uganda. The 1st well I am starting on is in the village of Kiuani, in Machakos County, which is a few hours north of Nairobi. Although they have a small rain season, the majority of the time this climate is very dry. Northeast of Iiani Market is a cluster of homes with small farms. These are subsistence farms where the majority of food grown is for the consumption of that family. At one point, this area was served with a water line from the neighboring county. When they learned some of this water was used for agriculture, they put a meter on this pipe. This made it prohibitively expensive to use the water for anything more than the bare essentials. People in the area catch rainwater, but this is seasonal, and they don't possess tanks large enough to catch much for the long term. Others travel to the seasonal riverbed, using less than ideal surface water and having to carry it several kilometers.

Our first location to have a well drilled and install a solar/well pump system will be the village of Kiuani. The specifications of this system are still being determined. I will be traveling to Kiuani the week of March 10th, 2025. I have hired a well-drilling company to conduct a hydrology evaluation during that time. Those results will help us identify the correct well pump, controller, solar modules, and storage tank to make the most impact.

Our goal here is to raise $40,000. We are teaming up with a non profit group theskyisnotlimited.org. With their support we are hoping to install several solar wells in Uganda in addition to this 1st well.

Why am I asking for $40,000?

With these funds I am going to

- hire local hydrologists/well drillers evaluate the site

-hire local well company drill the well, install casing, do a pump test and flush the well

-Purchase DC well pump, pump controller, tank, solar modules, solar racking and related hardware

-personally travel to the site to install the solar and well equipment

We will train local folks on the installation of solar well pump system.

Timeline:

If our fundraising goals are met, the 1st well in Kiuani VIllage will be installed in early 2026. The 2 Ugandan wells will be scheduled later in 2026.

Thanks for your support!

Ps. The last photo is of a solar well system at a school in the area.