New power connection brings hope to jobless youths in Kakamega

A power line snakes past homesteads in Ikhanyi Village, Kakamega County, where a new REREC connection is opening doors for small businesses and better learning conditions for students.

Electricity has reached 95 households in Ikhanyi Village, giving jobless young people a chance to start businesses in an area long dependent on seasonal sugarcane farming.

The new connection by the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC) has sparked plans for salons, mechanical workshops and cafes as residents look to turn access to power into sources of income.

For Peter Adanje, a father of six, the arrival of electricity could help his educated children overcome years of unemployment caused by a lack of local economic opportunities.

“My educated children have remained jobless for years due to a lack of local industrial opportunities,” Adanje noted. “The new power grid provides a foundation for self-employment and gives them a chance to earn a decent living.”

The connection could also improve learning conditions for students who have relied on limited lighting at home.

Simon Mukuchu, a Form Three student at Mugai Secondary School, said reliable electricity would allow him to study for longer in the evening and improve his chances of performing well in school.

Kakamega County has already achieved more than 82 per cent electricity connectivity across public institutions and schools, according to official figures.

Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi said the 95 households connected in Ikhanyi form part of a wider Sh2.46 billion rural electrification programme in Kakamega County.

The programme targets 41,262 households during the current financial year.

Wandayi spoke during an inspection of last-mile projects in Malava, where he also credited Malava Member of Parliament David Athman Ndakwa with lobbying for infrastructure projects in the constituency since his election seven months ago.