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The project involves increasing the number of installed transformers all over the country and ensuring all households near every transformer are connected/FILE

Kenya

President inspects project to boost electricity connections to 70pc

The project involves increasing the number of installed transformers all over the country and ensuring all households near every transformer are connected/FILE

The project involves increasing the number of installed transformers all over the country and ensuring all households near every transformer are connected/FILE

KIAMBU, Kenya, May 28 — President Uhuru Kenyatta Saturday launched the Last Mile Connectivity Project in Kiambu County where 18,290 households will be connected to electricity by June 2017.

Nationally, the first phase of the project will see at least 300, 000 households connected to electricity by the middle of next year.

The project involves increasing the number of installed transformers all over the country and ensuring all households near every transformer are connected.

As part of the initiative to increase electricity connections, the Government has already reduced the cost of installation from Ksh 35,000 to Ksh 15,000.

The Government has taken a step further to boost access to electricity by allowing customers who are not able to raise the chargers at once to pay in instalments.

The President toured Ndiguini village in Ndeiya, Kikuyu Constituency, to inspect the implementation of the project and visited households that have just been supplied with electricity.

The President also presented the actual quotations the owners of the houses got from Kenya Power indicating that they have been charged only Ksh15, 000.

“Every Kenyan who needs electricity must be connected whether they live in a mud house or timber house. The days when electricity was a preserve for the well to do is long gone. The approach we are taking will bring equality,” said the President.

The President said the promise by the Government to raise electricity connections coverage to 70 percent is well on target and will be achieved by 2017.

“When we came into office only 30 percent of Kenyans were connected to electricity and we said we must raise it to 70 percent. First we increased our power production and then we said all schools must be supplied with power. Now we have embarked on ensuring every Kenyan homestead has electricity,” said the President when he addressed the residents of.

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Energy Cabinet Secretary Charles Keter said the President has given instructions that there should be no segregation in access to power.

“Previously electricity was a privilege enjoyed by the rich people now the President has instructed us to ensure that we do not segregate between the big and the small,” said Mr Keter.

In Kikuyu Constituency, 27 new transformers will be installed to connect 1600 new customers. The project is part of the Government’s initiative to increase the number of households connected to electricity nationwide to at least 70 percent.

The Last Mile Connectivity Project is being implemented simultaneously with the National Schools Electrification Project through which the Government is supplying electricity to all schools in the country.

The project to electrify schools, which is nearly complete, has also increased the number of households connected to power. When a school is connected to electricity, all houses within the vicinity of the school are also connected to power.

The implementation of the project has been going on different parts of the country. Last week, the Energy Minister was in Homa Bay, Siaya and Kisii counties to launch the project while the President was launching similar projects in North Eastern.

President Kenyatta urged the residents of Kikuyu Constituency to maintain peace and cohesiveness as the country approaches the electioneering period.

Kiambu Governor William Kaboko and Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichungwa also spoke at the event.

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