THE Kenya government’s efforts to improve rural electrification recorded some level of success in 2015 as the country’s local electricity consumption rose 9.7 percent. The country’s rural electricity consumption grew from 474 million KWh in 2014 to 520 million KWh in 2015. Through its Last Mile Connectivity Project (LMCP) the Kenya electricity grid added 1.04 million customers, increasing household electricity access to 3.3 million, a 46 percent growth over 2014.
The increase in rural consumption highlights a success for the first phase of the LMCP, which seeks to connect 1.5 million Kenyans within 600 meters of about 5,000 transformers. The first phase of the project cost $34.3million and was funded by the Kenyan government and the African Development Bank. The project, which is expected to increase electricity access in Kenya to 70 percent by 2017, is targeting universal electrification by 2020. The success recorded in 2015 will serve as a basis for attracting further investment to support the project.
The US government’s Power Africa initiative is also looking to support the government’s effort in rural electrification. The country is likely to record an increase in the number connected households in 2016, with Kenya Power’s customer base surpassing the four million mark in February 2016, the country is set to surpass 2015 growth.
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