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By Victor MUJIDU
Kenya’s President William Ruto witnessed the signing of a Ksh27 billion (Euro 180 million) contract that seeks to connect an additional 280,000 Kenyans in 32 counties across the nation.
The electricity transmission drive, which is under the Bottom-Up Transformative Agenda (BETA), will equalize Kenyans in different dimensions, including businesses, education, and health, among other strategic areas.
Speaking during the signing of the contract in State House, Nairobi, President Ruto commented that the last-mile power connectivity will have cross-sectional results since it acts as a cutting-edge in universal technology coverage across the country.
“The last mile connectivity project is not only effectively bridging the development gap between urban and rural communities, but it has also effectively raised the overall rate of national productivity across sectors by facilitating the uptake of efficient technologies,” said the President.
The government has committed Ksh2.5 billion to the new phase of the project, with other stakeholders, including the French Development Agency (FDA), the European Union, and the European Investment Bank (EIB), contributing the remaining amount.
The last mile of power connectivity goes hand in hand with another programme of Ksh22 billion in electricity initiative under partnership with AfDB and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which seeks to connect a reasonable figure of the population in the country.
“As I speak, we are working on a similar connectivity programme worth Ksh22 billion in partnership with the AfDB and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to connect more than 270,000 customers,” he said.
According to Ruto, the government has raised universal electrification from 27 per cent in 2013 to 76 per cent now, translating to 9.6 million Kenyans connected to electricity.
“I am glad that we have moved from 2.3 million people connected with electricity in 2013 to 9.6 million Kenyans in 2024, and it has become possible due to our resolute commitment to delivering consistent investment of resources and determination to ensure that every Kenyan household, regardless of location, enjoys reliable and affordable energy,” added the President.
While speaking to the contractors assigned to the contract, the president said that the power transmission will be in line with fibre connectivity as the end goal is to ensure 100 per cent digital transitioning by 2030.
“Beyond connecting electricity to people, we also have another programme that is going to ride on the transmission lines that you are going to build, and this will be as you connect the transmission lines, we will also be connecting fibre because this is one of our commitments in regard to Vision 2030,” he added.