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The third phase of Kenyas Last Mile Connectivity Project, that entails the construction of 13 substations, has received a financial shot in the arm.
The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) on Wednesday approved a €101.10 million (around $110.8m) loan to the East African country to implement this phase of the project.
The announcement comes as Kenyas Auditor-General this week painted a bleak picture of the financial and governance challenges faced by the countrys main electricity supplier Kenya Power.
Part of the Last Mile Connectivity Projects aim is to strengthen the electricity network by constructing 13 substations of 33/11 kV.
This includes the associated grid extensions and distribution network in 45 of the 47 administrative counties to connect a total of 139,480 households to the grid.
Eventually this will translate to around 543,972 Kenyans gaining access to electricity.
In addition, 10,521 small and medium businesses and social facilities (23 educational institutions, 15 health establishments and eight water supply facilities) will be connected to the national electricity grid for the first time.
The AfDB said this will reduce the use of pollutants such as fossil and biomass fuels, charcoal and unprocessed agricultural waste.
The project is also expected to create jobs and business opportunities and improve service delivery to the education and health sectors.
"In the long term, the project will enhance the well-being and productivity of society, which will contribute to the socio-economic development promoted by Kenyas Vision 2030.
"It will also contribute to the transition to clean energy as households and businesses switch to clean and sustainable energy sources. The project will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 3,440 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide annually," said the AfDB.
As of June 2022, 77% of the Kenyan population had access to grid electricity, higher than the estimated 50% average in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The government is targeting universal electricity access by 2030 at the latest. |
