KENYA: MOST LEDs IN THE MARKET YET TO PASS REQUIRED TESTS

Most of the Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) bulbs in the Kenyan market are yet to meet the required tests, says Mr. James Wafula, a renewable energy don at Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (INST), pointing out that the University of Nairobi, School of Engineering, INST in collaboration with Humboldt State University of the USA and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) have set up a laboratory to test the quality of LEDs products that are distributed in the country.

These test include light distribution, battery capacity, luminance maintenance, and some physical tests such as durability of the moving parts and breakage resistance, among the 18 test carried out.

“While appreciating the ingenuity of our local innovators and entrepreneurs we will like to stress the importance of espousing the best practices with respect to dissemination and manufacturing their products to meet the minimum criteria,” says Wafula.

Notwithstanding that replacing incandescent bulb for LEDs or Compact Florescent Light (CFL) will lead to the reduction of carbon emissions by 68 per cent - CFL have mercury content thus when they are propagated to Kenyans without a warning on their disposal mechanisms the health of Kenyan is put at risk as they subject them to cancer.

Out of the numerous LEDs tests that have been carried out at the laboratory some of the locally manufactured and imported lamps have failed to meet the critical safety and technical thresholds requirements.

The don says the test carried out at the university are supposed to provide a feedback to for the manufacture of the LEDs products to improve on the products.

Currently Kenya Bureau of Standards does not carry out any test on LEDs entering the market. Hence the seal of approval on locally available LEDs are nonexistence.

IFC has taken this step to establish a pre-screening methodology (PSM) laboratory at the university to see that those bulbs that pass the PSM tests proceed for more in-depth quality control tests for them to be approved and funded in this region in particular and the continent in general.

“We will like to encourage innovators to run their products through the PSM in order to improve on their products before entering the market,” says the don. “This will enable locally manufactured LEDs bulbs to compete with the imported LEDs in the market.”

The don who is in charge of the laboratory says the tests give one a chance to realize areas of improvement. Since most propagated LEDs bulbs are solar powered - frequent movement requires high breakage resistance to avoid healthy related problems from occurring.


Even imported LEDs go through the same laboratory tests to safely replace kerosine usage amongst the Kenyan household. Kerosene is impacting negatively on Kenyans. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) assessment report says that 92 per cent of Kenyan households use kerosene with each household spending an average of Ksh 7,000 annually on kerosene. A solar lantern costs between Ksh 1,300 to Ksh 4,000. Ksh 7,000 will be saved over two year’s period using solar lantern instead of a Kerosene lamp.

“It is estimated that Ksh 4-6 Billion is spent annually on fuel based lighting,” Wafula says, “with the poorer members of the population purchasing kerosene in very small quantities and paying a price which is two-three times higher of the market price per little.”


Evans Wadongo is one of the Kenyan entrepreneur who has risen to stardom from innovating a solar powered lantern in 2004 which has seen him decorated as the CNN 2010 hero and this year he was honored during the 80th birth day of the former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev. 65,000 Kenyans have benefited from his innovation.

Simion Guyo of Craft Skills East Africa is too an innovator of LEDs bulbs powered by the solar wind. According to the laboratory Wandogo has subjected his lantern to the test while Guyo is yet to do so.

Wandogo and Guyo entrepreneurship will go along way with IFC (World Bank) to save 23.7 per cent of Kenyan population using Kerosene wick lamps “Kuruboi” which translates into an estimated 1.8 million households. The IFC survey reveals that 52.7 per cent of households use hurricane which translates into 3.9 million households.