Power deal will light up thousands of new homes

NAIROBI: Kenya’s electricity distributor has signed contracts to implement the $285 million (R4.07 billion) energy projects funded by the World Bank and the African Development Bank.

Kenya Power chief executive Ken Tarus said in Nairobi yesterday that the state-owned firm had signed 23 agreements with contractors for the Last Mile Connectivity Project.

“Under the agreements, we hope to help Kenya achieve universal electricity access by 2020, up from the current 70% electricity connectivity rate,” Tarus said.

The contractors have 18 months to complete the exercise of connecting households with electricity.

The project was expected to address the high cost of extending the power supply network, especially in the rural and low-income areas.

The World Bank has provided a loan of $150m while the African Development Bank will provide $135m to connect low-income households to the national electricity grid.

Tarus said financing from the African Development Bank would help an additional 314 200 households access electricity, while the World Bank would help light up 312 500 homes.

The project would involve the extension of low-voltage network on existing transformers and the installation of 1 000 new distribution transformers across 47 counties.

Through the implementation of various connectivity strategies targeting informal and low-income areas, Kenya Power has grown its customer base by 1.4 million households in the past financial year.

Tarus noted that the government was making electricity connections a priority, given its huge positive impact in socio-economic development. – Xinhua