NAIROBI, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's state-owned electricity generator said Thursday it has commenced drilling of the first of three geothermal wells in Djibouti setting in the contract it signed in February.

Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) said the Djiboutian venture is part of the company's ambitious diversification strategy, in which the company is seeking to acquire new revenue streams by offering commercial drilling services, geothermal consulting and other related services across Africa.

"This is a historic moment for us and we are confident that our team on site will deliver the project within the contracted time and on budget despite the prevailing circumstances brought about by COVID-19 and security situation in neighboring Ethiopia," KenGen CEO, Rebecca Miano said in a statement issued in Nairobi.

Miano said the drilling of the first well is expected to take about two months to complete as KenGen seeks to export the expertise and experience earned in Olkaria, Naivasha in Kenya where the company has successfully drilled about 320 geothermal wells.

She said with the drilling rig set up, KenGen is set to commence drilling of three geothermal wells for Djibouti Office of Geothermal Energy Development (ODDEG) over the next few months.

ODDEG Project Manager, Abdirasak Omar Moumin, said KenGen would deliver the project as planned, adding that the Djiboutian team was looking forward to acquiring new knowledge from the Kenyan firm.

"We are happy with KenGen and learning a lot from the team on the ground. They have a long history and expertise in geothermal which makes them the best partners in implementing our geothermal dream," said Moumin.

The statement comes after KenGen announced last week that it had completed drilling the deepest geothermal well in Ethiopia's Aluto-Langano project reaching a depth of 3,000 meters, surpassing a target of 2,750 meters.

Kenya is Africa's leading geothermal energy producer. - Xinhua

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta visited the Transnet Manufacturing Facility in Pretoria on Wednesday, where he went on a tour of the factory with South African Public Enterprises Minister, Pravin Gordhan.

The visit is part of Kenyatta's two-day state visit to South Africa to bolster trade relations between the two countries after ministers from both countries signed cooperation agreement in various sectors, including transport, health and tourism.

"Today is another demonstration of President Kenyatta's determination to see how we could take the relationship between the Republic of Kenya and the Republic of South Africa to a completely new level and built around commercial relations, trade relations," said Gordhan during opening remarks at the plant.

The guided tour of the Transnet facility aimed to show the company's capabilities in advanced design and manufacturing, and maintenance of rail-related equipment.

"I think Transnet can be a leading partner in working together with other African countries to restore their real stock. And again, going back to what I said earlier, be a leader in helping the integration of our rail systems across the continent and this is something that we look forward to working together with you and my team as we move forward," said Kenyatta.

Kenyatta is expected to visit the Aspen Pharmacare factory in the Eastern Cape, where the Johnson and Johnson vaccine is manufactured for distribution in South Africa and the other African countries. - Africanews

(Bloomberg) -- Uganda is in talks with neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo on plans to defeat Islamic rebels after four terrorist attacks in the past month.

Uganda’s security forces have gathered information about the Allied Democratic Forces after killing 12 of its operatives and arresting 106 since June, when they attempted to assassinate a minister, President Yoweri Museveni he said in a televised address in the capital, Kampala.

The East African nation, seeking to be one of Africa’s newest oil producers, wants to create stability in the wake of attacks from the group that included two twin bombings in Kampala on Tuesday that killed seven people. 

The rebel group is thriving on smuggling, plundering Congo’s timber and gold to finance its operations, the Uganda leader said. Uganda is also seeking to capture members of the group hiding in countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa, he added.

Uganda has the capacity to defeat the Islamists within the country, as well as with the help of its neighbors, Museveni said.

The group fought Uganda in the western region bordering Congo in the late 1990s before pulling back and crossing into the neighboring country. Its leader said last year that the group is part of Islamic State’s self-proclaimed Central African Province. - Fred Ojambo, Bloomberg News