Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga has observed that Kenya has been unable to attract new investors, over what he says is energy frustrations.
According to the former Premier, the nation is suffering from the inability of the existent first to provide surplus power, ending up only providing what is enough for consumption.
He says that bureaucracies in the nation are to blame for the situation that has seen the powder become unreliable, driving investors to other destinations with better energy supply.
Speaking at the Strathmore University on Thursday, Raila said that he has reached out to the ministry over the same, in search of possible remedies to the issue.
“I have been talking to our ministry about bureaucracy in giving licences to those who want to generate energy. There is too much bureaucracy. We need to meet the demand. Demand is a deep sea in Kenya. All the time we have to ensure there is a gap between generation and consumption to encourage consumers,” he said as quoted by Standard.
The African Union Infrastructure Development envoy added that he has been trying to encourage energy production firms to invest in Kenya to solve the issue but in futility.
He as well noted that the bureaucracies and the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority have been part of the problem and has been ensuring that no new firms join the sector.
“That animal (EPRA) I said needs to be tamed because it is making our economy inefficient since people who want to invest in stand-alone systems where there is a deficiency in energy supply are discouraged,” Raila noted adding that some parts of the nation continue experiencing recurrent and regular power outages.