In reply to climberuk: I was there last year with work and did it all on a tight budget in country, I got a lift to the gate hired a porter and walked in over three days to the Austrian hut. My itineray was as follows:
Day one gate - weather station
Day two weather station to McKinders hut
Day Three McKinders hut to Austrian hut.
Day 4 - 6 Summit Nelion / Batian
Day 7 walk out to gate
1. Take your own dehydrated food, I would bring it in from the UK.
2. You can get a porter from any of the guiding companies on the way to the entrance of the park.
3. You can book all the routes and accommodation at the park entrance.
4. Gas is hard to come by so use a multi fuel stove.
5. Hire a tent or take your own, the only place I would recommend staying in is McKinders hut the rest are bogging. At all costs do not stay in the Austrian Hut as they cook in the entrance and the fumes are a killer for acclimatisation.
5. You only need one Ice axe per person to get across the glacier and the gates of the mist. Crampons are a must if you want to cross the gates of the mist. Ice axes and crampons can be hired in country if needed.
6. You only need a light british trad rack and 2 x 60m ropes.
7. When crossing the gates of the mist abb into it on one rope and leave in place and cross with the other rope, this allows you to get back easier.
8. You can kip down in the Howell hut on top of Nelion if needed but only stay in Ballies bivi if you really have to as its bogging and half full of snow and crap.
8. Best guide books are Kilimanjaro and East Africa by Cordee or Mountain club of Kenya guide book to mount Kenya by Iain Allen. Both books are available in the UK, I got mine from Needle sports in Keswick.
Finally I made this Topo of the normal route on Nelion if its any help.
http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd281/jon859/nelionroutetopo.jpg
I cant remember my overall cost but it wasnt more than $400