Following President William Ruto’s directive to the Ministry of Energy to increase the distribution of hydroelectric power, Kenyans may soon see lower electricity costs.
Speaking at the State House on Monday following a Cabinet meeting presided over by the Head of State, State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohammed reported a 20% increase in the production of hydro-generated power.
That’s because there has been a lot of rain falling in different sections of the nation lately.
“Cabinet also directed the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy in consultation with all agencies within the sector to give priority to maximum production, uptake and distribution of hydro-generated power,” said Hussein Mohammed.
The spokesperson further indicated that the distribution of the electricity should reflect the adoption of hydro-generated power to the consumer as well as the decrease of between 15 per cent and 10 per cent of diesel-generated power, considered more expensive.
In recent months, Kenyans have been reeling under increased electricity charges alongside a rising cost of living.
If effected, the hydro-generated power will see prices per token unit lowered.
During his address, Mohamed also noted that the warning from the Kenya Meteorological Department was taken seriously by the Ruto administration.
He further defended that the Head of State’s statement on downgrading from El Nino to significant rainfall was a result of communication from the department.
“All Kenyans should exercise patience and caution while travelling, wait for storm waters to subside before attempting to cross roads, report any instances of flooding or landslides to the authorities and strictly follow all guidelines issued by the government,” Hussein advised the public.
The Cabinet, therefore, resolved to mobilise a Ksh7 billion contingency fund to curb the effects of El Nino, funds which will be disbursed to counties.
It noted that 38 counties are in the alarm stage of El Nino where the death toll stands at 76 while over 35,000 people have been displaced.
Earlier, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua had maintained that the National Government could not give counties additional funds as a response to the ongoing rains.
