Strategic Partnerships; REREC & Lamu County commit Ksh. 20M towards rural electrification projects

Last Updated 1 year ago by Kenya Engineer

Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation(REREC) has signed a collaboration framework with the County Government of Lamu to a tune of Ksh. 20 million.

Under this partnership, the County has committed a total of 10 million for two sub counties in the current financial year 2023/2024, while REREC will match the funds to a maximum of Ksh. 10 million. Lamu County government will give priority to Lamu West Sub County which has 63% arable land. Connecting this area to the national grid will help improve food security by facilitating fishing and horticulture activities such as dairy and crop farming in the region.

REREC has completed 24 GoK funded projects in Lamu County at a cost of approximately Ksh 210 million. In this financial year, the Corporation is implementing projects worth Ksh 138.2 million. REREC will also undertake a project under the Kenya Off-grid Solar Access Project (KOSAP), a World Bank-funded project to solarize 21 boreholes within the county at a cost of approximately Ksh.49 million.

The signing of this collaboration framework is the commencement of a partnership that will enable REREC fulfill its mandate on implementation of electrification projects in the County. It will also help establish a framework for co-operation between REREC and the County Government of Lamu in regard to implementation of electrification projects and programmes.

Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC) is mandated to spearhead Kenya’s renewable energy drive, in addition to implementing rural electrification projects.

To fulfill our mandate, the Corporation has primarily relied on Exchequer funding, despite facing challenges such as limited funds. In order to address this issue and diversify our funding sources, REREC introduced an innovative participatory approach to financing projects. This involves cost-sharing arrangements with the National Constituency Development Fund (NCDF), County Governments, and other stakeholders.

Since the Financial Year 2014/15-2023/24, the Matching Fund program has been highly successful, enabling the Corporation to implement additional projects. As a result, electricity connections have been extended to more public facilities and households. To date, the Corporation has cumulatively implemented 1,050 projects at a cost of Kshs. 2.8 billion.

The Corporation encourages County Governments and Members of Parliament to adopt the Matching Fund approach to expedite the implementation of electrification programs in their respective areas.

The Shilling for a Shilling program (Matching Fund) enables County Governments or Members of Parliament to allocate a specific amount from their development funds, with REREC committing an equal amount for rural electrification in the designated region identified by the leaders.

The Corporation continues to implement projects countrywide aiming to enhance rural electrification in Kenya, improving the livelihoods of our people and contributing to the nation’s overall development. These efforts align with the national economic development blueprint, Vision 2030, and the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) championed by His Excellency President. Dr. William Ruto.