KENYA : Deputy President Prof. Kithure Kindiki says that the government intends to spend Sh 36 billion to connect households in the country with electricity through the Last-Mile Connectivity Project.
Speaking in Kieni, Nyeri County, on Friday, January 31, 2025, while on a development tour of the Mt Kenya region, Prof. Kindiki said that the government is in the process of sourcing additional funds to ensure that every Kenyan is connected to the National Grid.
Out of the Sh 36 Billion, Sh 8.6 billion will go towards connecting 115,000 households in 9 counties of the Mount Kenya region, the Deputy President said.
While enumerating the government’s development milestones over the last two years, the DP noted that the government had managed to increase the number of Kenyans with access to electricity from 2.7 in 2013 to the current 9 million, with plans on top gear to connect 1 million more over the next 20 months.
“As a government, we know there are areas in this country without electricity connections. Our goal is to ensure that each household in the country is connected to power,” said the DP.
Kindiki, said that the government was keen on accelerating infrastructure development, spurring economic growth, and improving the livelihoods of Kenyans.
He noted that the country was in a better place economically, and Kenyans would soon start reaping the benefits of the stable economy.
“Right now, because the economy is stable, we now have enough funds. We want to ensure that in the next three years, we have addressed issues of road expansion, water and electricity connectivity, and youth employment so that our country is in a better place," he said.
During the tour, he commissioned a Sh 733 million Last-Mile Connectivity Project from Aguthi, Mbogo-ini, Gikamba, and Murungaru in Kieni Constituency.
The project will be undertaken by the Kenya Power and Lighting Company and the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation and is targeting 10,903 beneficiaries.
He also launched a Sh 164 million Last-Mile Connectivity Project, which will provide electricity to 1,163 beneficiaries.
Additionally, the Deputy President said that the government has enough resources to facilitate the completion of 464 kilometres of the stalled roads over the next three years.
The DP has attributed the availability of the funds to the stability of the economy, adding that the government now has enough money to facilitate the construction of the roads to completion.
“President William Ruto has been addressing inflation, the cost of living, the cost of fuel, and stabilising the Kenya shilling. Right now, because the economy is stable, we have enough funds to construct roads. The good news is the government has enough money to complete the roads,” said Prof. Kindiki.
The DP spoke in Watuka in Kieni, while on an inspection tour of the Endarasha-Charity-Watuka Road.
The road is part of the 66-kilometre Mweiga-Amboni-Karandi/Endarasha-Charity-Watuka-Embaringo-Kimunyuru road project, which has stalled for four years.
The road was commissioned in 2019 and was to be completed in 42 months. It, however, hit a snag after the contractor encountered challenges, forcing him to suspend construction. At the time, only 13.4 kilometres of the road had been upgraded to bitumen standard.
According to Eng. Charles Gitonga, the resident engineer for the project, construction resumed in October 2024 and is expected to be completed by August 2026 at a cost of Sh 2 billion.
“We have given ourselves 20 months to complete the entire project, and at the rate at which the contractor is working, it will be achievable,” said Eng. Gitonga.
The project, which is under the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA), has created employment for 154 Kenyans, of whom 2 are engineers, 21 are technicians, and 119 are casuals.
Eng. Gitonga noted that the contract comes with a maintenance component, which will see the Chinese contractor continue to keep the road in good condition for three years after completing the main construction.
The DP, was accompanied by Principal Secretaries Alex Wachira (Energy), Eng. Joseph Mbugua (Roads and Transport), and Ann Wang’ombe (Gender and Affirmative Action) and a host of other elected leaders.
