A staggering Sh70 million has been spent in the ongoing upgrading of the power system in Kisii County.
Kenya Power Managing Director, Dr. Ben Chumo said the exercise is geared towards improving the quality of power supply in the region.
“The refurbished power network will offer better and reliable power to the area and support social and economic activities,” Dr Chumo said on Sunday when he toured Kisii to inspect progress of the project.
He added that they were through with the first phase of the exercise, which began in September last year.
“Since commencement several other regions have undergone similar upgrading exercises in the effort to improve quality,” Dr Chumo said.
He said there had been a steady growth in consumer appetite for power and the company, in collaboration with the government, is working on mechanisms to increase electricity access from the current 41 percent to 70 percent in 2017.
“These efforts are aimed at improving livelihood for low income groups and acceleration economic growth at the micro-economic level,” he said
He added that the connectivity project aimed at maximizing 85 transformers in Kisii to connect more customers at a lower cost.
Currently, there are 41,000 total household and commercial enterprises connected to the electricity according to Dr Chumo.
“More than 9,500 alone were connected to the power grid in the 2014/15 financial year," he said.
The Managing Director said the company is planning to invest more than Sh970 million in the Boresha Umeme projects on low voltage networks countrywide.