The Government will connect 566,000 homes to the electricity grid at a cost of Sh42bn, Energy and Petroleum Principal Secretary Alex Wachira, said.
Speaking in Mbeere North Tuesday, June 11, when he commissioned four new electrification projects in the area, the PS said the connections were the beginning of an ambitious plan that would see the government allocate money every year to have 90 to 95 per cent of all homes connected to power by 2030.
He said priority would be given to areas with low electricity and urged beneficiary communities to look out for people who might want to vandalize the infrastructure.
“Vandals cost the government over Sh2 billion in damages annually,” he said, adding that power and roads infrastructure was the most hit, usually by scrap metal hunters.
A director of the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC) Mark Nderitu said the projects are expected to be complete in about one month and asked the beneficiary communities to help speed up the work by wiring their houses and granting wayleaves where necessary.
“The connections will be free of charge,” Nderitu said, adding that at least 322 projects are set to be implemented around the country this year under the Last Mile Connectivity Programme with priority to areas that have never had any form of electricity connections.
