an engineering geological characterisation of tropical clays - GBV

ix
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank all those who contributed in different ways towards making my Ph.D.
research work a success.
On the German side, my gratitude goes to the following: the German Katholic Academic
Exchange Programme (KAAD), in Bonn, for funding my studies through a four-year Ph.D.
scholarship; staff of the African Department, KAAD, Bonn (Dr. T. Scheidtweiler and MS.
Simone Saure) for valuable general information, advice and guidance throughout the
scholarship period; the Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Technical Universty of
Clausthal, for availing facilities and equipment for field and laboratory investigations; the
Institute of Mineralogy (through Prof. K. Mengel), Technical Universty of Clausthal, for
facilitating chemical and mineralogical analyses of soil and rock materials; Prof. G. Reik
(Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, TU-Clausthal) for supervision of field and
laboratory studies as well as reading and correcting the thesis; Prof. H. J. Gursky (Institute of
Geology and Palaeontology, TU-Clausthal) for reading and correcting the thesis; and the
Faculty Examination Board under Prof. D. Mayer (Faculty of Mathematics and Natural
Sciences, TU-Clausthal), for examining the thesis work. I also appreciate the assistance
rendered by other members of staff, research assistants and students of the Institute of
Geology and Palaeontology, TU-Clausthal, in areas of samples preparation and analysis, data
analysis and interpretation, as well as printing of the thesis.
On the Kenyan side, my profound gratitude goes to the following: the Ministry of Education
for granting me a research permit to conduct fieldwork in Nairobi; the Kenya Airports
Authority (KAA) for permitting field investigations around JKIA and Wilson airports; the
Survey of Kenya for availing topographic maps; Department of Geology, University of
Nairobi, for storage of field equipment; Dr. Patrick L. Legge (Department of Geology,
University of Nairobi,) for assisting in the field study phase; Mines and Geology Department,
Nairobi, for permitting shipment of soil and rock samples to Germany for laboratory analysis.
I also thank Dr. Chris Nyamai (Department of Geology, University of Nairobi) as well as the
field investigation and sampling crew for their contributions.
I would also like to thank my wife (Ragchaasuren S. ) and parents, for their tireless support,
encouragement and patience. Contributions and assistance rendered by friends in Clausthal,
Gaston Schettkatt and Nassim Ouassa, are highly appreciated.