To effectively manage the Aberdare Electric Fence,
various essential elements of physical infrastructure,
equipment, and other assets are required. Some
of these items may have a high initial cost, but
serve the medium and long-term needs of the fence.
As fence construction nears completion, the maintenance
demands continue to grow, making the acquisition
of these capital items an increasing priority.
The following items are among the capital items
that are top priority:
Fence Guard Posts (Energizer Houses):
These are the buildings on the
fence line housing the solar equipment that powers
the fence and double up as the residences of the
fence scouts who maintain it. Between 20-25 of
these units will be required, one for roughly
each 20km section of fence. The temporary structures
currently serving this function were put up during
fence construction and are now being upgraded
to permanent guard posts, as funds become available.
The cost of each Guard Post is US $58,000
 Fence
Support/Patrol Vehicles
Fence maintenance is supported by
off-road vehicles that provide the Aberdare fence
manager and sector wardens with high mobility
with which to patrol the rugged terrain of the
fence line, transport fence maintenance/repair
materials and scouts to work locations. Since
the project’s inception over 20 years ago,
the support of various donors and well-wishers
has enabled vehicles to be purchased and deployed.
However, the vast area of the Aberdares has meant
that there is a shortage of vehicles. In addition,
the existing fleet of vehicles is subject to wear
and tear, and thus needs to be replaced within
a 5 year economic life cycle of use under extreme
conditions.
Two make/model types are used as follows:
(a) Heavy Duty
Suitable for heavy support work and long distance
travel within the mountain range. The tried and
tested model used for this type of work is model
Land Cruiser HZJ79 4-wheel drive pick up, which
costs US $ 47,000
(b) Light Duty
Suitable for light patrol work and short distance
travel. The model used is the Suzuki Maruti Gypsy
King pick-up, which is a hardy, basic 4-wheel
drive utility vehicle whose simplicity makes it
cheap to maintain and operate. The cost of the
vehicle is US $ 14,000
We appeal to our supporters for funds to purchase
these much-needed items.
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The
radios are necessary for linking all locations
at our annual Rhino Charge fund raising event,
and will ensure effective communication between
the Guard Posts, officials, camps and security.
In past years we have borrowed or hired such radios,
but this option is no longer available to us,
and it has become necessary to buy our own.
