Kenya’s Proposed Research Reactor: Leveraging Nuclear Technologies for Sustainable Healthcare

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Technical & Applied Physics, Technical University of Kenya.

2 Nuclear Power and Energy Agency (NuPEA), Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

The government of Kenya recognizes the importance of research and development in realizing the country’s vision in economic development and quality of life. Research reactors will be key in Kenya’s medium- and long-term development plans in areas of research, industry, healthcare, education and training. Nuclear Power and Energy Agency, in collaboration with key stakeholders, is carrying out a feasibility study for the Kenya Nuclear Research Reactor (KNRR) project. The commissioning of the KNRR facility is projected for the year 2030. Radioisotope production has been identified as a priority utilization for the proposed RR facility to ensure self-sufficiency in production and availability of cost-effective radioisotopes for medical and other applications both for the country and the region. Further, the current and projected local and regional demand for radioisotopes for medical applications have been quantified. The prioritized radioisotopes are Mo-99/Tc-99m, I-125, I-131, Ir-192 and Lu-177. Successful implementation of KNRR project will improve the quality of healthcare in the country.

Keywords

Arab Journal of Nuclear Sciences and Applications
Volume 56, Issue 2 - Serial Number 2
Special Issue: Proceedings of the 10th African Conference on Research Reactor Safety, Operation and Utilization, Cairo, Egypt, 27 – 29 November 2022, organized by the IAEA in cooperation with the EAEA.
January 2023
Pages 75-79

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