Articles - Geol Mbugua Githae

Why Buildings Collapse in Kenya

A building transfers its weight to the soil through its foundation. If the soil is strong and stable, the load

Soil testing is the process of collecting samples and measuring in-situ properties of the ground to determine its strength, compressibility,

The Short Answer For a storey building, a soil investigation is strongly recommended and, in practice, expected by structural engineers,

The Standard Penetration Test is an in-situ (field) test performed inside a borehole. A thick-walled steel tube called a split-spoon

Black cotton soil is a dark grey to black, clay-rich soil that swells strongly when wet and shrinks when dry.

A lineament is a linear or gently curved feature on the Earth’s surface that is visible on satellite images, aerial

Mineral prospectivity mapping (MPM) is the process of combining multiple spatial datasets to produce a map showing how likely each

Geology is a spatial science. Rocks, faults, soils, drill holes, samples, boreholes and mineral occurrences all have a location, and

Mineral exploration begins with a simple problem: how do you decide where to spend limited money on ground work, drilling

A borehole is not a permanent, maintenance-free asset. Over years of operation, the borehole structure, the screen and the surrounding

Northern Kenya, including Turkana, Marsabit, Wajir, Mandera, Garissa, Isiolo and Samburu, is dominated by arid and semi-arid conditions. Rainfall is

Ask ten borehole owners in Kenya how they chose where to drill, and you will hear different answers. Some will