The National Assembly’s Energy Committee Chaired by Mwala MP Vincent Musyoka has been apprised on the critical challenges facing the country’s power utility company.
Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) Chief Executive Officer Eng Joseph Siror in a meeting with the lawmakers underscored the urgent need for infrastructure upgrades to meet Kenya’s escalating electricity demand.
Eng Siror informed the committee that the country’s power demand has risen significantly in recent years, with many Kenyans still awaiting connection to the national grid.
Kenya Power has no resources for modernization
The CEO further stressed that Kenya Power currently lacks the resources to support the necessary expansion and modernization of its infrastructure, which has become outdated and is increasingly unable to handle high-voltage transmission.
“Just as we invest in expanding other sectors of the economy, such as transport through road expansion, power is essential to economic growth,” Siror said.
“More attention and resources are needed to enhance and modernize power generation and transmission systems.”
A major challenge facing KPLC is its aging power transmission infrastructure, which has struggled to support the growing power demand in the country.
The outdated system has led to frequent blackouts, exacerbated by the overload on existing evacuation lines.
To address these disruptions, Kenya Power has been forced to resort to periodic load-shedding in certain areas in order to stabilize power supply when demand exceeds available capacity.
Siror called for additional funding to replace obsolete transmission lines and expand capacity. By doing so, the company aims to avoid frequent system failures and meet the needs of an expanding customer base.
Legislators have called on the entity to ensure efficiency in executing their mandate. They emphasized on coming up with measures to reduce the cost of power which is still a burden to consumers.
