Nairobi — The threat of electronic waste dumping in Africa is emerging with the rapid development in the Information Communication and Technology industry.

As a result, E-waste dumping in Africa featured as a major concern at the just-concluded United Nations conference on hazardous wastes held in Nairobi between November 27 and December 1.

The conference drew over 1,000 participants worldwide under the United Nations framework of the Basel convention on the trans boundary movement of hazardous wastes.

It is against this background that a local organisation has embarked on recycling computers before distributing them to various learning institutions.

The organisation, Computers for Schools Kenya (CFSK), is a non-profit firm working with the Government and is based at Starehe Boys Centre, Nairobi.

Biggest computer refurbishing firm in Africa

So far, the organisation, the biggest computer refurbishing firm in Africa, has given computers to over 310 learning institutions countrywide.

The institutions include secondary and primary schools, community centres, colleges, universities and special schools. Computers that were given out to schools about three years ago have now been retrieved for recycling.

The organisation's Executive Director, Mr Tom Musili says computers are received as donations from Europe, Netherlands, Canada and the United States.

In addition, local companies such as Safaricom, Barclays, Unilever and the United Nations also donate used computers.

"We get like 4,000 computers per year. We are only three years old and we have received over 10,000 computers at our workshops," said Musili.

"We refurbish them in our workshops and then we donate them to schools for use in learning," he adds.

Central processing units and monitors have to be in working condition

The central processing units and monitors have to be in working condition before they are brought into the country.

"We estimate that the Pentium 3 computers may last up to 3-4 years after they come into the country," he says.

According to Musili, after recycling, the computers will be used for up to five years.

In addition, CFSK also maintains these computers, as well as trains teachers.

"We usually hold one-day workshops where we train principals, teachers, IT technicians and students where we distribute the computers," he says.

The training comes in handy especially when the machines fail to work. Staff from these learning institutions repair such machines instead of calling experts.

An increase in the number of primary schools receiving computers from CFSK has created the need for an integrated teaching solution specifically designed for these schools.

Exploring and implementing innovative solutions

As part of this, CFSK in co-operation with other stakeholders, has developed an ICT curriculum for use in primary schools.

The curriculum was launched on March 14 at Visa Oshwal Primary School in Nairobi and is to be piloted in 15 schools countrywide over the next one year.

A teachers' guide for the curriculum was developed at a workshop at the Government Training Institute Mombasa, in readiness for the pilot programme and its eventual full implementation.

As for the Pentium 2s, the organisation has innovated technology that involves the use of a server, hence the monitors act as workstations.

A special project unit has embarked on exploring and implementing innovative solutions to the unique challenges of mainstreaming ICT in a developing country.

Prolonging lifespan of relatively old computers

The unit has piloted sustainable Internet access for educational institutions, community centres and thin client systems.

The client system aims at prolonging the lifespan of relatively old computers by networking powerful servers with very low-end workstations, which boot and operate with full reliance on the server.

This technology, coupled with open source software, significantly reduces costs and power consumption-facilitating rapid dissemination of ICT.

The organisation started the recycling project after it started receiving computers that were becoming obsolete.

The CPU covers are very easy to recycle since they are made of metals and plastics, which are disposed of locally.

The scrap is given to waste disposal dealers whom the CFSK monitors.

"This is because somebody can collect these equipment from us and later dump them somewhere else," he says.

Electronic components shipped to Taiwan for disposal

Computers contain several chemicals which, when disposed of in unsafe conditions, may severely affect the environment and threaten life.

Since it is a government project, Musili says the organisation has to be very keen on the safety of the citizens.

"What we are now addressing, which is very critical, is the monitors," says Musili.

The fact that the inner motherboard contains several different elements makes it hard for them to be disposed of locally.

For electronic components, CFSK has an arrangement with a Taiwanese firm, which has special facilities to extract the sensitive components in the motherboards.

The company pays for the motherboards, which CFSK uses to ship out the components and obsolete monitors for disposal.

"Monitors contain toxic gases, and we do not have expertise to remove these gases and that is why we have to ship them out of the country," says Musili.

"The machine used requires a huge investment. We do not even know how it looks like."

Converting computer monitors into television sets

But CFSK has managed to convert some of the computer monitors into television sets.

"We have been able to repair monitors and re-use them, while we have converted others to TVs, more durable than TVs you get from the shop," he says.

The technology involves buying TV motherboards, to replace those of the computers.

"We also change a few transistors and make use of the tube because computer tubes are similar to TV tubes," he says.

The organisation hopes to sell the newly converted TVs at between Sh3,000 and Sh4,000.

Outstanding contribution towards clean development initiatives

However, Musili says that there is minimal electronic waste in Kenya because of the small advances made in Information and Communications Technology.

Recently, the organisation received the prestigious African ICT achievers awards, as the top civil society organisation to bridge the digital divide in Africa, from the Ministry of Information of South Africa.

The Government also awarded CFSK Sh500,000 for its outstanding contribution towards maintaining clean development initiatives during the Basel Convention meeting in Nairobi.