Kenyan President William Ruto launched a Ksh3.6 billion ($27.9 million) last-mile connectivity electrification project in Wajir County in northeastern Kenya that aims to connect 20,000 households and address the region's electricity challenges.
"The government will invest Ksh3.5 billion in the next two years to connect 20,000 households to power in Wajir County as part of our wider plan to foster entrepreneurship across Kenya," Ruto said on social media.
Implemented by Kenya Power & Lighting Company and the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC) through the World Bank-funded Kenya Off-grid Solar Access Project (KOSAP), the initiative includes solar-powered boreholes, mini-grids, and new household connections across six constituencies of the northeastern Wajir County, reports said, citing REREC's CEO Rose Mkalama.
On Wednesday, as part of the initiative, the Kenyan president commissioned the Shuublow electrification project in Wajir East constituency, which aims to connect 91 households, a secondary school, and a mosque to electricity.
Meanwhile, Kenya Electricity Generating Company, East Africa's largest electricity producer, said in a statement on Thursday that it recorded a 79% increase in profit after tax for the six months ending December 31, 2024, achieving Ksh5.30 billion ($41 million) compared to Ksh2.96 billion ($23 million) in the same period last year.
The growth was driven by significant cost-cutting measures and improved operational efficiencies, the company noted.