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"content": "Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Mr. Speaker, Sir, this is in connection with a report by the Standing Committee on Energy, Roads and Transportation. That Committee paid a visit to Olkaria KenGen facility in Naivasha area, and this visit was intended to enable hon. Members of the Committee to familiarize themselves with the operations of KenGen and to give them an opportunity to appreciate the challenges faced in the generation of electricity. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we established that KenGen has become the leading electric power generation company in Kenya, producing approximately 80 per cent of our energy requirements. It is a company which is 70 per cent owned by the Government of Kenya. We noticed that despite the various challenges which this company has faced since its inception, it has made very significant achievements, particularly in the area of geothermal development. The company provides employment opportunities to approximately 2,000 Kenyans. As a Kenyan, I feel very proud that KenGen, which has raised its profile to the level where it is now ISO certified, is fully managed and controlled by Kenyans, who include professionals and highly qualified engineers. Practically, all the expertise is locally sourced and a majority of them are pure natives of Kenyan origin. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the visit to Olkaria also revealed that there is a huge potential of up to 10,000 megawatts of electricity sited in 23 locations around the country. These locations are spread all over; for example, they include Olkaria itself, Menengai in Nakuru, Silali, Bogoria, Paka, Suswa, Homa Bay Hills in Homa Bay County; Lake Magadi, Nyambene Ridges, Chyulu Hills and very many other areas of the country. We also noticed that only two sites are being exploited at the moment; that is Olkaria and Menengai. The potential in other areas has not been tapped at all. It is envisaged that by 2030, we would have realized up to 5,000 megawatts of electricity. That would be a substantial contribution towards our energy requirements, although we could do better; we could tap even more potential out of these indigenous assets. Mr. Speaker, Sir, as we all know, we are not self reliant on energy. In fact, energy is a major constraint to our economic development and social transformation. We also know that, in fact, it will be difficult for us to achieve Vision 2030 if we do not generate sufficient energy at affordable rates. Our focus as a country should, therefore, be to supply reliable, environmentally friendly and affordable energy. That should really be our focus going forward. This source is clearly geothermal, which will help to turn Kenya’s economy around. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, Sir, KenGen today relies very heavily on funding from the Government and this is, obviously, unsustainable. It limits its operations because, of course, the The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate"
}