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{
    "id": 1240395,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1240395/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 618,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Davis Chirchir",
    "speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "On the question by Hon. Yusuf Hassan, Member for Kamukunji, we have talked about electricity supply and the challenge of the theft of transformers. The more important thing we are doing with the Power Grid of India is working to deliver power at 11KVA to the homes and drop on a small transformer. We have some interesting technology which we are trying to learn from the Power Grid of India to ensure that power losses are managed by ensuring that we provide power on higher voltages as opposed to power which can be easily tapped. More importantly, the principle here should be to see whether we can work with re- sellers. In places like Kamukunji and informal settlements like Kibera, we should be able to have a re-seller of power who buys in bulk and distributes in the way they understand and the way they live with their community. We will have a meter at the transformer, and he will collect revenue in the informal settlements. We should be able to train them and work together with countries that have done this. We learnt this from the Power Grid of India, that has done very well. This will ensure that we do not get into a situation where there is no power in the slums because when there is no light, the insecurity and the challenges that come with it become a challenge to the entire Government. So, Hon. Yusuf, we are working on that, but it is not limited to Kamukunji. We want to do a pilot project and see how we can ensure that there can be re- sellers of power. For example, Safaricom does not basically sell its service, but it employs re- sellers it sells bulk service, and the re-sellers go to the end customers. I have worked very closely with Hon. Farah Maalim, the Member for Daadab, to ensure that Wajir has power because they were out of power for quite a while. What are we doing to spread the infrastructure to the North? Let me cite the example that I gave to Hon. Raso, of Loyangalani, Marsabit coming down to Isiolo and going back to Garbatulla and Garissa. We will work on infrastructure development to ensure that power is moved out there to the north. We have done very well in some of the more highly populated areas. We will be paying more attention to see how we can move power. Let me give a very good example that can work. In Lungalunga, Vanga and Namanga, we sell power to Tanzania. They do not have the grid on the Namanga Tanzanian side, but they pick power from Kenya. In Taveta, they do not have power on the Tanzania side. We do cross-border sales of energy. In a place like Mandera, there is a power station about eight kilometres into Ethiopia in a place called Ganale Dawa. We are working with them to bring the grid to Mandera Town and be able to reticulate power on the grid and bill like we do in Namanga, Taveta, Lungalunga or Vanga, where currently there is improvement, and each country has its own grid. So, we will work on moving the grid, because that would be the reliable power once we achieve it. On Samburu West, I am told there is a sub-station in Rumuruti which is almost complete. We will pay attention to completion of the sub-station quickly so that, instead of picking power 300 Kilometres away, we should be able to pick from the Rumuruti Sub-Station."
}