Parliamentary Committee Calls for Overhaul in Off-Grid Power Management to Ensure Equitable Electricity Access

Parliamentary Committee Calls for Overhaul in Off-Grid Power Management to Ensure Equitable Electricity Access

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬
𝐓𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝟏𝟓 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓.

The National Assembly’s Committee on Energy has underscored the urgent need to invest in off-grid power solutions to ensure Kenyans living in remote and marginalized regions have access to electricity. 

This came about during a meeting chaired by Hon. David Gikaria (Nakuru Town East), where the committee met with officials from the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC) and the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC).

Hon. Gikaria emphasized that access to electricity has become a basic need and called for greater investment in alternative power sources for areas not connected to the national grid. 

“Off-grid projects are mainly meant to serve marginalized areas, especially in Northern Kenya, and therefore we must make sure they equally enjoy access to power,” he stated.

Turkana Member of Parliament Hon. Ngitit Cecilia, revealed to the committee that all off-grid power projects implemented by REREC in Turkana and later handed over to KPLC have since shut down. 

“These stations have no staff attached to them and have become white elephants and a waste of taxpayers’ money,” she lamented.

Responding to the concerns, KPLC Managing Director Mr. Joseph Siror attributed the shutdowns to lack of funds for maintenance and operations.

Siror noted that budgetary constraints have hampered KPLC’s ability to keep the stations functional.

Hon. Elisha Odhiambo raised questions about the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of the off-grid projects, many of which depend on diesel generators and batteries. 

“We must examine the return on investment for these projects and consider whether current models are viable in the long term,” he said.

REREC CEO Dr. Rose Mkalama in her response told the committee that the equipment used in the off-grid stations has an estimated lifespan of 25 years with keen implementation of maintenance schedules.

Legislators, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the existing framework where REREC establishes the off-grid stations and then hands them over to KPLC for operation. 

They proposed that REREC be given full responsibility for establishing, running, and maintaining the stations to ensure better efficiency and service delivery.

KPLC supported this proposal, noting that its capacity to manage the stations has been hindered by inadequate funding from the national budget.

Hon. Gikaria urged both REREC and KPLC to harmonize their operations to prevent further disadvantage to communities in off-grid areas. 

“KPLC and REREC should not take this matter lightly. We must strive for equality and ensure no Kenyan is left behind when it comes to electricity access,” he said.