Nakuru County Governor Kinuthia Mbugua now wants geothermal resources to be used to light up Naivasha and Maela towns.
Mbugua on Friday said the direct benefit of geothermal drilling and exploration in the area should have its first effects on the people who live near Ol Karia.
“There are so many dormant streetlight posts in the area that can be utilised by the Kenya Electricity Generating Company to provide adequate lighting for the town. Security in the area has been compromised due to the lack of this lights,” the governor said.
Mbugua was speaking at the Olkaria Geothermal power plant during the commissioning of the Olkaria 4 plant by the president on Friday, where he argued that the county government was open to talks on the payment plans for the lighting project.
“Existing poles are in good condition and we should be the direct beneficiaries of this projects. We hope that the Geothermal Development Company (GDC) can also look into this,” he said.
The governor claimed that geothermal was now becoming the trademark of Nakuru town, outshining the flamingoes that the town was popularly known for.
He also appealed to the companies to consider transporting the residues of the steam water by pipes to Naivasha town.
“We have always had a huge deficiency of water in the town and part of the solution would be using this water for our direct benefit,” he added.
The governor said that Kengen and the GDC should construct the Kongoni-Maela road as a way of benefiting the people who use it.