Ruto sets aside Sh4.1bn to connect 17,000 Wajir homes to electricity

President William Ruto  flanked by Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir, Energy Principal Secretary Alex Wachira, Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi and other leaders during the commissioning of a solar hybrid power plant in Habaswein Town, Wajir County, on Sunday, May 31. [PCS]

President William Ruto has set aside Sh4.1 billion to connect 17,000 households in Wajir County to the national grid.

Ruto made the announcement on Sunday while commissioning a solar hybrid power plant in Habaswein Town, a day before he presides over the 62nd Madaraka Day celebrations in Wajir, the first time the national holiday is being marked in Northern Kenya since independence in 1963.

The plant is part of the government's Last Mile Electrification initiative and anchors a 54-kilometre grid extension developed by the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC), linking Habaswein, Lagdima, Qanchara, Samattah and Lagbogol to the national grid.

The project is expected to power 1,700 households and supply electricity to public facilities including schools, a dispensary and a mosque.

Ruto acknowledged that despite REREC's expansion into towns such as Habaswein, electrification levels in Northern Kenya lag behind the rest of the country.

"Although agencies such as the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation have successfully extended power to towns including Habaswein, electrification levels in Northern Kenya still trail those recorded in other parts of the country," he noted.

The government will construct 26 new hybrid mini-grids in Wajir County under the programme, Ruto said, adding that such infrastructure would continue to be built across arid and semi-arid regions.

Wajir South MP Mohamed Adow said energy projects under way in the constituency were valued at nearly Sh2 billion, describing the county's recent progress in power connectivity as remarkable.

Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi Jiir praised the government's development agenda and called on residents to back Ruto's re-election bid, saying the county was being transformed through ongoing projects.

The commissioning was attended by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, Energy Principal Secretary Alex Wachira, Deputy Governor Ahmed Muhumed Abdi and representatives from REREC and Kenya Power.