Kenya lacks skilled welders who can work on a live oil pipeline and for the longest time the country has had to ship in Chinese, Nigerian and Lebanese welders to work on big pipeline projects such as building the 820-kilometre crude oil pipeline between Lokichar and Lamu.
Not anymore. Chepkoech Chumo has made history by becoming the first woman to qualify as professional pipeline welder. Her journey to become a wilder was sparked by sheer interest while playing as a volleyball player with the Kenya Pipeline Company ladies team.
Volleyball Player
She was playing on contract for the team when she travelled to Egypt, Mauritius, Madagascar, Tunisia and Morocco. This is where Chepkoech came into contact with oil pipeline welders and developed interest in the technical discipline that remains largely a preserve of men.
“I fell in love with welding sparks and found myself betrothed by enrolling privately at the National Industrial Training Authority for the ordinary version done on iron plates otherwise known as fillets. I graduated with a trade test one that qualified me to be a welder,” she told the Star.
Breaking the glass ceiling
Given welding is a ‘man’s job’ Chepkoech’s feat impressed the Human Resource Department, and she was promoted from subordinate staff to fillet welder (welding flat objects).
Kenya Petroleum Training Assistance Programme through the World Bank grant to the Ministry of Petroleum and Mining later sponsored a team of 10 new welders in a bid to cover the skills gap in the country. Chepkoech was the only woman selected.
After eight months of rigorous training at Morendat Institute of Oil and Gas in Nakuru County, Chepkoech attained the unique skill of certified welder 6G able to weld an oil, water, gas or sewerage pipe in all positions.
She proceeded to Spain for international assessment and passed, effectively becoming the first woman in Kenya to qualify as a professional pipeline welder.
Two professionals
Before their graduation, the country only had two such professionals. All employees of the Kenya Pipeline Company.
“Unlike conventional welding which is widely practised, this is a highly specialised form of welding that is done on petroleum pipelines. For a long time, Kenya has only had three qualified pipelines welders, all employees of KPC,” said Kenya Pipeline Company acting Managing Director Hudson Andambi.
Welding is not only highly sought after but the job also pays well. The starting salary for a pipe welder in the United States is around Ksh3.4 million ($34,000) per year. Most experienced pipeline welders take home as much as Ksh5.7 million and above depending on the salary range.
Today, the former volleyball player says her work involves bravery and travelling to exotic places.
“A pipeline welder has to go where the work is, so I am always on the move along the line between Mombasa, Eldoret and Kisumu. The work is less predictable than other welding careers because it involves hopping from site to site. Work hours often run into overtime,” Chumo says.
Chepkoech says she is proof women are capable of excelling in male dominated fields and anyone can follow in her footsteps.
“I wanted to prove that my low academic grade was but accidental and could not stop me from scaling higher in the professional ladder. I wanted to prove that women are capable of excelling in male dominated fields”.
