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The Tana River County government has partnered with Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco) aimed at helping realise and energy master plan for the region.
Speaking to the Nation in Hola on Thursday, Tana River Governor Dhadho Godhana said his administration intends to oversee the supply of electricity deep into the most remote areas of the county as a major step in encouraging industrialisation.
“We already have a master plan for the Hola Municipality which is expected to kick off next year. We intend to have several industries here, but our electricity coverage is wanting,” he said.
The governor said the plan, whose implementation will begin in February, will seek to connect more than 30 villages with electricity, making it easy for development to kick off in those areas.
“We have a vast land that in as much as someone will want to put up a company and create jobs for our people. The cost of getting power close [to these areas] is discouraging so we are reducing the burden since we are thirsty for those opportunities. Let them (investors) come and develop [their] ideas here and help us grow,” he said.
Ketraco land surveyor Jilo Madras said the company intends to build two substations in the county in order to bridge the power gap between Hola and Bura.
The stations will then be linked to the substation in Garsen which taps power from Malindi, hence reducing the cost of electricity.
“We are going to have two more substations and that’s going to be in line with the county’s energy master plan and the idea adopted for the Hola Municipality, we believe, will reduce the cost and problems of electricity in the county,” he said.
Areas targeted for connectivity include Dayate, where the county government intends to build its headquarters, Asa and Kone villages like, Kora Game Reserve, Asako and Kipini.
Tana River County is considered one of the darkest counties in the country, with an electricity coverage of 37 percent only according to recent reports by the Kenya National Bureau Statistics.
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