By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Kenya has commenced moves to secure a facility worth 21.66 billion shillings ($150 million) from the African Development Bank (AfDB). The funds are expected to be deployed in connecting homes to electricity.
This is part of the third phase of the “Last Mile Connectivity” project of Kenyan government.
Citing an AfDB source, Business Daily newspaper reports that Treasury Department has formally filed application for the $150 million in a review of the programme to be rolled out before the year-end to power an estimated 150,000 homes in 45 counties.
State-run Kenya Power launched the “Last Mile Connectivity” programme in 2015 to link homes to ensure universal electricity coverage.
Over 1,316 new transformers will be purchased, extending the high voltage line by 650 kilometres and 6,798 kilometres for the low voltage network through the new funding.
The funding, if approved, will be in addition to the 26.76 billion shillings that Kenya Power has received so far from three multilateral lenders to connect 280,473 households across 32 counties.
The power distribution firm has received a loan of 13.38 billion shillings ($98.29 million) from the French Development Agency, a grant of 4.46 billion shillings ($32.76 million) from the European Union and a loan from the European Investment Bank of 8.92 billion shillings ($65.52 million).
