Murang’a households to benefit from new electricity connections

BERNARD MUNYAO AND CATHERINE KAMUNYO-KNA

The Government is strengthening its commitment to expand electricity access in Murang’a County with the goal of achieving 100 percent connectivity by 2030.

To this end, Principal Secretary for Energy, Alex Wachira, toured Njambi Road and Thirikwa villages in Kangema Constituency, where he launched new transformers to boost the local power supply.

Speaking during the launch, the PS assured residents that the government has allocated Sh1.2 billion to connect 16,075 households across Murang’a County by the end of this year, with Sh109 million set aside to connect more than 1,200 households in Kangema Sub-County.

“Our goal is to achieve universal access to electricity by 2030. Initiatives such as installing transformers and expanding household connections are crucial steps towards this objective,” said Wachira.

He expressed concern over vandalism, describing it as one of the biggest challenges facing power infrastructure.

“These transformers are here to serve you. When they are vandalized or stolen, it is the community that suffers most, as replacing them takes time and incurs huge costs.

I urge residents and security officers to work together to curb these cases,” he appealed. 

On the other hand, Kihungi lauded the government’s commitment to bringing electric power to rural communities.

“Our people have been in darkness for too long, and that has kept us behind economically. Today we are already at 80 per cent connectivity in Kangema, which is good progress, and I look forward to achieving full connectivity by 2027,” he asserted.

George Mwangi, a resident of Njambi Road Village and one of the newly connected beneficiaries, noted that access to electricity would ease many daily struggles for his family, from household chores to supporting his children’s education.

“We used to walk close to three kilometers just to charge our phones. Now, with electricity at home, life will be easier and our children will study comfortably without relying on kerosene lamps,” he added.

The electrification programme is expected to spur economic activities, improve education and healthcare services, and enhance security in Kangema Sub County.

It also forms part of the Last Mile Connectivity Project, supported by development partners including the African Development Bank, JICA, and the European Investment Bank.

Currently, Kenya’s national electricity access stands at about 79 per cent, up from 37 per cent in 2013, with the remaining 21 per cent gap mostly in rural areas.