HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 406564,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/406564/?format=api",
"text_counter": 101,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Obure",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 118,
"legal_name": "Christopher Mogere Obure",
"slug": "christopher-obure"
},
"content": "Thank you very much, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. First of all, I want to start by thanking my colleagues; hon. Senators, for the contributions and proposals they have made. I want to assure them that the Committee has taken note of their proposals and that the Committee is grateful for the interest they have shown in this subject. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the report of the Standing Committee on Energy, Roads and Transportation brings to the fore very serious questions. The question is: Why is electricity expensive and prohibitive in Kenya? This is really the question that we must respond to. Then the second question is: How do we get out of this quagmire; how do we get out of this serious mess in which we find ourselves? Electricity is expensive in Kenya largely because the demand is higher than the supply. This is why we have shortages of electricity. The demand is higher and the cost of electricity is expensive because we have relied heavily on hydro sources of electricity, which are erratic, particularly during the dry spells. This forces us to use the emergency power supplies, which use engines powered by diesel. It is the wrong policy because the cost of diesel is hitting the roof at this particular time. So, we must address the fact that we are using expensive electricity whose cost is up to Kshs35 per kilowatt and we must find every way to get out of it to avoid the use of emergency power supplies. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, electricity is expensive in this country because of the huge losses experienced at the level of transmission and distribution. We must appreciate the fact that Kenya Power uses old technology, machines and equipment as a result of which we suffer very heavy losses. So, really, to get out of this quagmire, we must do one thing as a country; we must decide to get our priorities right. There is need to invest more resources in the area of geothermal development. We must put in more resources as a country and that must be a deliberate decision, otherwise, this cycle will continue to the detriment of the country. We must, as a matter of priority, go geothermal because the cost of geothermal, as stated by other contributors to this Motion, is only Kshs8 per kilowatt compared to the Kshs35 kilowatt we are paying for power from emergency power suppliers. Largely on the way forward, I cannot see any other shortcut. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the third point we must observe, through what has come out from this debate, is the need to change the ownership of our energy institutions. As pointed out by Sen. Kerrow this morning, the Geothermal Development Company (GDC), which is the vehicle used for development of geothermal energy, is 100 per cent owned by the Government; and that is the one institution which needs more funding; yet it is tied to or it must rely on Government funding. We need to open it up to the private sector so that the private sector can take ownership of that company to enable it access funding from the private sector and other investment institutions. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to, once again, thank hon. Senators for their contributions. I want to thank members of the Committee for the time they found to visit these sites and to put together this report. I want to assure hon. Senators that, as a Committee, we will engage the Treasury and the relevant Ministry to ensure that the big questions relating to electricity supply are answered so that all the challenges we are facing in this sector are resolved. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move. Thank you very much, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir."
}