- Kenya’s Energy Minister, Kiraitu Murungi, has said that only six percent of rural Kenyans have access to electricity.
He said this worrying development has forced the country to go all out in search of “innovative approaches and colossal amounts of financial resources to scale up the rate.”
Kiraitu Murungi also disclosed that Kenya has spent about US $115 million on rural electrification this fiscal year.
He said a total of 1,330 rural electrification projects have been initiated in rural areas. These projects include solar-powered generators supplied to secondary schools in arid and semi arid lands provinces in North-eastern, Eastern, Rift Valley and the Coast.
"Already 34 schools in areas remote from the existing national grid have been supplied with solar electricity under the programme,” Mr Murungi said in a statement.
“The government has accorded top priority to rural electrification in order to attain the target to supply electricity to 20 per cent of rural population by 2010.”
The Energy Minister was optimistic that the newly passed law would no doubt strengthen rural electrification institutional reforms.
“The Energy Act of 2006 provides for the establishment of Rural Electricity Authority (REA) to accelerate supply of electricity to the rural communities,” Mr Murungi noted, disclosing that REA is expected to kick off with effect from July 2007.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
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