Kenya Power Targets 280,473 Homes With Cheap Connectivity

Kenya Power has announced the reintroduction of the last-mile electrification project (LMCP), which would link families to the national grid through a subsidised programme.

At a cost of Sh26.8 billion, the next phase would assist 280,473 families in 32 selected counties.

The LMCP project will include the installation of 940 transformers, the optimisation of 3,735 existing transformers, and the building of accompanying power lines.

The programme, which will begin in November this year, will be entirely funded by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the European Union (EU), and the European Investment Bank (EIB).

LMCP is a government flagship initiative that began in 2015 with the goal of providing inexpensive connections in rural and peri-urban regions, advancing universal energy access, and driving social and economic progress in accordance with the country’s 2030 development strategy.

It also aligns with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No. 7, which seeks to provide everyone with access to clean, affordable energy.

Over 1 million Kenyan households have been linked to electricity as a result of the program’s first three phases, which were supported by the government, the African Development Bank (AfDB), and the World Bank.

The above has led to the rapid expansion of the country’s network, providing power access to more than 75% of the population, up from a low of 29% in 2012, and enabling Kenya to rank among the top countries in terms of electricity connection growth rate.

According to a recent AfDB project impact study, the LMCP has had a beneficial impact on Kenyans, with an 83 per cent increase in the usage of electricity for lighting.

According to the survey, access to power has raised the likelihood of youngsters studying at night by 45 per cent, while test grades for secondary school students have climbed by 34 per cent.