Energy CS Opiyo Wandayi commissions rural electrification projects
Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi has commissioned rural electrification projects in Nakuru County that now supply thousands of households with electricity.
The projects were built by the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC).
CS Wandayi commissioned multiple projects that REREC has done in Nakuru County. REREC has done a total of 75 projects in Nakuru which will connect 3,341 households to the national power grid.
Wandayi commissioned five of the projects in Kuresoi South Constituency that will connect 163 households to electricity.
The CS also commissioned nine projects in Rongai Constituency that will connect 141 households to the grid.
REREC, formerly known as the Rural Electrification Authority (REA), is a fully State-owned parastatal that was established to accelerate connection of rural homes to electricity.
The parastatal is also charged with electrifying rural schools, hospitals, markets and other social facilities.
The idea behind the establishment of REREC was to have a dedicated social entity that will undertake these projects instead of Kenya Power, which was to be left to operate purely as a for-profit entity.
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Private individuals and companies have a 49.9% shareholding in Kenya Power. The majority stake of 50.1% is owned by the Kenyan government.
REREC is funded by the government. In the year to June 2021, the company made Ksh10.55 billion revenue, out of which Ksh9.34 billion was funded by the government, partnerships with counties as well as revenue generated internally.
The remaining Ksh1.21 billion was raised through donor funds.
REREC also runs 16 energy centers across the country that are used as a training hub to learners on energy-related issues. These energy centers were previously owned and operated by the Ministry of Energy.
When the Energy Act, 2019 that established REREC was passed, these centers were transferred to the parastatal along with the staff.
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