Sh2.9 billion Galana Kulalu power project to be completed by mid-next year

The Senate Committee on Energy has praised the government for implementing the Sh2.9 billion electrification project aimed at powering the Galana Kulalu Food Security Project.

Committee chairperson and Siaya Senator Oburu Odinga led the team on a fact-finding visit to the Baolala Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC) substation in Malindi subcounty, Kilifi county.

He urged the contractor to prioritise the needs of local communities once the project is completed.

“One of the issues we have noticed is the lack of corporate social responsibility in the project. The supply and connection to surrounding communities have been placed as a low priority, which in our view should have been given more emphasis,” Oburu said.

The senators accompanying him included Edwin Sifuna (Nairobi), Danson Mungatana (Tana River), Ekomo James (Turkana) and nominated Senator Beatrice Ogola.

REREC project engineer James Muriuki said Sh300,000 has been allocated to connect nearby schools, hospitals and other public facilities to the grid by the end of the project.

“The project has four main components,” he explained.

“First, we are installing a 45 MVA, 220 CA6 transformer. Then there are two 27-kilometre stretches of 66 KV lines. At the end, we will set up two 23 MVA 66/33 KV transformers and a metering station where the investor will draw power, with Kenya Power handling billing.”

 Sifuna urged the government to prioritise electricity access in counties still off the national grid.

“The engineers say once power reaches Galana Kulalu in Tana River, it will be transmitted back, and I wonder why we can’t start from here,” he said.

“We still have 13 counties without grid connection. Any investor proposing new power projects should begin with those areas.”

Mungatana raised concerns about the lack of major private investments in coastal counties due to unreliable power supply.

“Our six coastal counties have only this one project, yet we deserve more. You cannot industrialise without power,” he said.

“Manufacturers have told our committee they can’t set up plants from Malindi to Lamu because of low electricity access.”

 Ogola emphasised the importance of designing projects that benefit residents.

“Energy is an enabler of development, but we must always consider the immediate needs of our people,” she said.

“As we think of providing power to the irrigation project, we must also plan how the surrounding communities will benefit.”

The Galana Kulalu electrification project is expected to be completed by mid-next year, boosting power access and supporting agricultural production in the region.

Instant analysis

The Senate Energy Committee’s visit to the Galana Kulalu electrification project highlights Kenya’s push to expand access to reliable power for agricultural and industrial growth. The senators’ concerns about community inclusion and equitable power distribution underscore persistent gaps in rural electrification, especially in coastal and off-grid counties.