The frequent power outages at Makindu town and its environs will be a thing of the past once Kenya Power completes constructing a substation at a cost of Sh62 million, Makueni County Commissioner (CC) Mr Maalim Mohammed has said.
Mohammed said that the substation required around 8 parcels of land to construct the substation while another 143 parcels would be needed where the power line would pass (wayleave).
The CC said this during a County Development Implementation Coordination Committee (CDICC) meeting he chaired in his Wote boardroom.
Consequently, the administrator said the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (KETRACO) would undertake the construction while adding the Land and Adjudication Officer has been tasked with reaching out to the people to get the parcels of land required.
“With the completion of the construction of the power station, it will bring an end to the frequent power blackouts experienced in Makindu and its environs,” said Mohammed.
Further, the administrator said that the government was committed to seeing wider coverage of electricity to the area residents who could in turn start small income generating projects to improve their lives.
On title deeds, especially where the power line will pass like Kiboko C, he assured the residents that the government was keen in issuing them with title deeds soon.
On Thwake Multipurpose dam, Mohammed said that the CDICC would go and have a seating with the contractor to review his contract on how he plans to complete the project before June 2022 when it is scheduled to be commissioned by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
“As a committee, we need to know the plans the contractor has put in place to complete the project before the President comes to commission the dam next year June,” said the administrator.
On pollution of River Athi, the County Commissioner said that NEMA should do something to ensure those contaminating the water are dealt with as a way of getting clean water for the people of Makueni, Kitui and Machakos to drink. “We also want those polluting the river downstream to be dealt with,” he said.
Speaking in the same meeting, Makueni County NEMA Director Leonard Tampushi informed the members that the Director General has put in place a multi-agency committee to address the pollution of the river right from its source in Ngong.
Tampushi further said the County Environment Committee would also be involved in identifying polluting sources and also map out the stretch of the river to work on with a view of reducing pollution.
By Patrick Nyakundi
