The Ministry of Energy has, through the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC), earmarked Sh600 million to connect 5400 households with electricity in Bungoma County.
Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi said the project is part of Sh2.7 billion that the Ministry has allocated to Bungoma County to be disbursed through other agencies.
He was speaking at Lunakwe in Bumula Sub County, Bungoma County, where he launched the construction of the Bumula Energy Centre.
Wandayi said that the centre will cost Sh60 million at the initial stages and will serve as a platform for showcasing all aspects of renewable energy, clean cooking, and environmental conservation.
The centre, he said, will offer training services, organise field days, and provide extension services on energy for the residents of the county.
For Bumula Constituency, the CS said that the Ministry has earmarked Sh260 million for the electrification of 1200 households. Out of this, he said Sh10 million will be spent on electrification of 132 households at Lunakwe village.
He thanked the County government of Bungoma for securing the land for the project, saying it will benefit the whole county.
Wandayi said that the project was the 17th to be implemented by the Ministry countrywide, as it was the policy to extend development to all parts of the country without discrimination.
Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka and Bumula Member of Parliament Jack Wamboka were present at the ground-breaking ceremony.
By Nelson Musungu and Catherine Nyongesa
