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{
    "id": 1398974,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1398974/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 329,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Davis Chirchir",
    "speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, and Members, we really empathize with the situation that occurred in Mandera County during the El Nino, because there was a breakdown of communication and lack of access. The fuel that would normally hold there for 30 days ran down to five days, zero days and eventually complete outage. That was a situation that taught us a lesson, that in the more difficult areas, we need to hold more fuel for the diesel generators. More importantly, you would have noticed that on the road, there were fuel tankers trying to access and salvage the situation. However, the road network and the whole communication breakdown was a challenge. The Kenya Power Company is working with Ethiopia and we have an arrangement. Like in most of the border towns if there is a grid, from the Ethiopia or Kenya or Uganda, they service us and vice versa. We are working with Ethiopia because there is a point there not very far up there from Mandera, where we can get the grid from Mandera town. Rather than build the grid from Wajir to Mandera or from Marsabit across to Mandera, we can get the service. In the last State Visit by the Prime Minister for Ethiopia, we discussed getting the service from Ethiopia and being built on the Kenyan side. Kenya Power is working closely with Ethiopia to actualise that and put Mandera on the grid. If we can put Marsabit on the grid at the end of Kenya towards Loyangalani, then you can see every part of the country connected to the grid, even the more difficult areas. We will pay attention to this. Ethiopians were even talking about joint power generation through some of the big rivers that go out of Kenya to Ethiopia, to forestall that challenge. However, the immediate solution is to provide cross-border connectivity for customer connections rather than buying bulk power. We currently do that with Uganda"
}