Editorials
Time to deliver on the cheaper power promise
Tuesday January 31 2023
Kenya Electricity Generating Company Plc (KenGen) Acting Managing Director and CEO, Abraham Serem during a KenGen media briefing on January 6, 2022. PHOTO | DIANA NGILA | NMG
Kenya's electricity demand hit a new record in January, pointing to the continued recovery of business activities from Covid-19 disruptions and a lull in the electioneering period.
Latest data show the country hit a peak demand of 2132.29 megawatts on January 18.
The country set another record demand last July, pointing to the pent-up demand for electricity by households and businesses.
The increased consumption should get the policymakers thinking about stepping up power production while at the same time addressing its reliability and cost.
The government should now deliver on its promise of cheaper power in order to sustain this rise in demand and back the long-term growth of sectors such as manufacturing that are critical in job creation.
Kenya should also step up production of power from cheaper sources such as geothermal to support the downward review of tariffs and upgrade distribution lines to cut blackouts.
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