Beta on climbing mt Kenya

I actually summited Pt. Nelion back in 2005 but was not a climber at the time. I am planning to be back in Kenya in July of 2012 and am trying to gather beta on the various routes to reach the true summit of Mt. Kenya. Will I need snow/glacier gear or will it be clear of snow at that time?
Any good internet resources on getting up there? I will not hire a guide (last time i was there we didn't need to and just paid park fees + hired the hut-keeper to guide us up the hike to the non-technical summit).
Thanks for any advice or info you can provide.

I think you mean point Lenana? That is the trekking summit. Both Nelion and Batian require at least 400 m of 5th class climbing. together these two peaks from the true summit, with Batian being a few meters higher.

My wife and I climbed the SE-ridge of Nelion in march 2009, planning to traverse the Gate of the Mists to Bation. A snowstorm caused us to retreat after summiting Nelion. There is a small aluminum hut on the summit of Nelion, which as of 2009 was unlocked, and made for a nice refuge. We also climbed the SE face of point John. Great climbing on both peaks. The rock is very solid and grippy.

In 2009 the rangers at the entrance told us:
- You are required to have a guide
- The price is $50 USD per person, per day!

We ignored them. We did not hire a guide. We paid $300 for a three day pass, and proceeded to spend 11 days in the park, sneaking out at the end to avoid the $800 bill. We'd have paid if we had the money, but we didn't, and we weren't about to scrap the trip. Furthermore, it's hard to know if these really were the rules, or if the rangers were trying to scalp us.

Glacier gear will not be required. We crossed the largest glacier in the park (the Lewis) on bare ice. It's pretty tiny, and there were no crevasses. The biggest hazard was rocks on these weird pedestals of ice. Looked like the rock had landed on the glacier and then the ice all around melted away while that underneath was protected. These things would really ruin your day if you were below one when it toppled.

We were quite happy to have our crampons and an ice axe, both for the glacier crossing, and for the mixed climbing that ensued on our descent after the snow storm.

Going in July, the north side routes should be in good shape (dry), while the south side might have snow and ice.

The Chogoria (trekking) route in is gorgeous.

There is a climbing guidebook available, which we found to be a great help. Can't remember what it's called exactly.

The Wikipedia article is pretty good, but beware of most online resources. They tend to be out of date.

• *Edit**

The book is called:
"Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya: A Climbing and Trekking Guide"
by Cameron M. Burns.
The Mountaineers, (C)1998