State to spend Sh500 million to connect power to Nakuru villages

Kenya Power technicians repairs electricity line along the Likoni road in Nairobi on February 7. Disruptions lasting more than three hours will see affected customers compensated in proposed law by Parliament. The Energy Bill, 2015 is at the third reading stage Photo/FILE.
Kenya Power technicians repairs electricity line along the Likoni road in Nairobi on February 7. Disruptions lasting more than three hours will see affected customers compensated in proposed law by Parliament. The Energy Bill, 2015 is at the third reading stage Photo/FILE.

More rural areas in Nakuru county will be connected to the national grid following plans by state to pump more than Sh500 million towards the venture.

Of the Sh576 million, Sh58 million will be used in supporting those living in rural areas in Naivasha constituency, according to Energy CS Charles Keter.

Keter disclosed the plan during the launch of the last mile electricity programme in Naivasha town on Saturday.

The CS said that nearly all primary schools in the country have been connected to electricity as part of fulfilling the Jubilee government promise.

"We want by next year to have connected the whole country to electricity so that we can make Kenya a 24 hour-economy state," he said.

And in a bid to make electricity affordable, Keter said that the government has reduced the cost of connection from Sh35,000 to Sh15,000.

"Before President Uhuru took power around 2.1 million homes were connected to electricity but in three years we have added another 2.7 million to the national grid," he said.

He termed Naivasha as very crucial due to the amount of power it produces from the geothermal rich area of Olkaria.

The CS said that previously, only 43 per cent of Naivasha residents had access to electricity but this had now risen to 80 per cent.

"The best gift you can give this government for the work it has done is through registering as voters and giving it a second chance come 2017," Keter said.

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Naivasha Mp John Kihagi thanked the government for the power project noting that it would go along way in opening up the town.

Kihagi challenged the minister to assist tens of schools in rural areas that still use solar power.

"We are grateful for this project which will benefit hundreds of families and my appeal is for those schools that are far away from transformers to be considered in the programme," he said.

Lakeview MCA Simon Wanyoike - the host - thanked Kengen for donating several street lighting masts to various estates in the town.

He however called for more lights to be erected on the Nairobi-Nakuru highway and other estates that had been left out of the last mile power project.

"The county government has committed itself to paying the electricity bills for these street lights as part of meeting our obligation," he said.

Present during the function were a group of Mps, Kengen managers led by the MD Albert Mugo among other government officers.

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