President William Ruto has commended the ongoing collaboration between the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC) and county governments aimed at accelerating electrification in rural areas.
Speaking at Kinjabi Village, Nambale Constituency, during the commissioning of a REREC-implemented electrification project, the Head of State praised Busia Governor Dr Paul Otuoma for making the highest contribution to REREC’s rural electrification efforts through a program called the “Shilling-for-Shilling” or matching fund initiative.
Under this program, county governments contribute up to Ksh.5 million per sub-county for electrification, while REREC matches the amount. The county government retains the authority to decide which areas should be prioritized for electrification.
REREC CEO Dr. Rose Mkalama, while briefing the President, stated that 17 counties have so far signed Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with REREC under the matching fund program. This initiative has already raised Ksh.4 billion for rural electrification.
Dr. Mkalama further revealed that the corporation plans to sign MOUs with an additional six counties in the coming weeks, expressing optimism that all counties will eventually join the program.During his tour, President Ruto led efforts to connect 191 households to electricity in Kinjabi Village. Additionally, 138 families in Namoni Cheloti, Webuye East Constituency, Bungoma County, were also connected to electricity.
The government plans to spend Ksh.2.2 billion to connect 23,736 families to electricity in Bungoma County over the next year.
