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{
    "id": 1378854,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1378854/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 127,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Veronica Maina",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for this opportunity to support the Report that has been brought to the Floor of the House by the Standing Committee on Energy. Let me join my colleagues in congratulating this team for doing a good Report, and we can tell that they have done a very exhaustive investigation into the issue of the high cost of electricity in the country. Unfortunately, when Kenyans hear we are debating about the cost of electricity in Kenya, it leaves a bitter taste in their mouths because of the experience they have had with KPC. If you have an opportunity to speak to the people on the streets or the corporations working within the Republic of Kenya, they will tell you of days they were tormented by unreasonable power bills. Bills that could not be explained were shifting every day. For instance, for an entity such as the Senate, its power bill with the same consumption and utility, with no additional equipment or appliances added into the building will be from Kshs200,000. In the following months, it will jump to Kshs400,000 or Kshs1 million without a single explanation from KPC on why there is such a range in bills within the same entity without any additional gadgets utilising the power. It has been a disaster and menace to Kenyans. That is a sad story. Out of the irrationality of power bills, many people have lost their upkeep because businesses have been shut down. Again, people are unable to sustain power bills. If somebody loses their job, I can assure you that they cannot sustain paying power bills in their homestead. The bill could be to a tune of Kshs20,000 or Kshs30,000 in a month, which is just one item in their budget. This has been a sad story within our nation. The fact that Kenya Power Company has been a monopoly has not helped the story. The kind of control they have had over power has made it possible for Kenya Power Company to behave as though no one else will enter the energy field or offer power to Kenyans. Unfortunately, this reminds me of Kenya Airways. I have been unable to rationalize how these two companies operate. That is the management behaviour and what they do with the resources that Kenyans have bestowed upon them. Today, we are not discussing Kenya Airways; that will be a debate for another day. They have unique characteristics that are almost similar because of the monopoly they enjoy. They should cease to receive any protection from the Government. I am looking at some of the failures we have had at the management level. For instance, in (viii) of this Report, KETRACO has been designated as the system's operator since 2021. This is yet to be implemented despite the existence of Gazette Notice No.155 The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}