Kenyan government launches Rural Electrification Authority

30 October 2008 – The Kenyan government is starting an ambitious programme of connecting a million new customers to the national grid over the next five years it was announced by Energy Minister, Kiraitu Murungi.

Speaking at the launch of the Rural Electrification Authority, under which MPs which will channel Constituency Development Fund (CDF) monies into a rural electrification programme in their respective areas, the minister told attendees "“Unlike other projects in rural electrification programme, under the matching fund an MP is free to choose whatever project he or she will finance.”

The government will also match, shilling-for-shilling, the money the MPs send to the rural electrification programme, up to a maximum of

The minister admitted that one million consumers was an ambitious target as it took a century (1887 – 1997) to connect a similar number, but he continued that the government will ‘mobilise resources through public private partnerships’ for which regulations would be launched soon.

Currently, some 16 million Kenyans are without electricity.