Garissa residents living in rural areas will start benefiting from cheap power connections as construction of the Dadaab Power Station in Garissa County start.
Rural Electrification Authority (REA) Chairman, Dr. Simon Gicharu said the authority has approved the designs and it will take one year to complete the 55 MW solar power plant in Garissa County saying the government will ensure that every household in the county especially in rural areas will have electric power connection.
Mr Gicharu said under the rural power project, Garissa residents living in informal settlements and low-income regions will access electricity.
He said the rural electrification programme has the potential to transform lives of the rural people who have been marginalized for a long time as they will be able to access cheap electricity.
According to the chairman, the authority was allocated Sh7 billion in the 2017-2018 financial year which part of it will be used in scaling-up the supply of renewable energy in rural areas.
“The Authority is committed to realising the government’s vision of increasing access to electricity for rural communities to promote sustainable socio-economic growth.”
“We are committing Sh2.5 billion out of the Sh7 billion on solar power and diesel generators to light up villages in remote areas. The purpose of rural electrification is basically to alleviate poverty by ensuring that all Kenyans have access to electricity,” he said.
Dr. Gicharu asked those who will benefit from the programme to use electricity for income generating activities to improve their living standards and the economy.
The Chairman also revealed that 98 per cent of public primary schools were connected to electricity to support the digital learning programme.