Kisumu County has experienced power interruption to enable ongoing works on the 220 kV Olkaria-Lessos- Kisumu line. The Kenya Power had announced the interruption which affected parts of Kisumu Central Business District, residential areas and adjacent areas.
The transmission project financed by the Government of Kenya and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) at a cost of Sh16 billion will strengthen the link between the South Rift where there exists massive geothermal potential and the Western parts of the grid where demand is fast growing.
The 300-km Olkaria-Lessos-Kisumu line runs from Naivasha steam fields through Eldoret to Kisumu. It is expected to stabilise power supply in the region and ready it for industrial growth which is not possible with reliance on a gas turbine generator in Muhoroni and imports from Uganda.
Stable power
Kenya Electricity Transmission Company had initially planned for the project to be completed in February 2018 before pushing it a year ahead to 2019 due to funding and lengthy wayleave wrangles around the Kedong Ranch in Naivasha and Kisumuโs Mambo Leo. The Japanese-funded project through JICA comprising a 400,220 and 132KV network has been the missing link between the region and idle power in Olkaria, Naivasha.
According to Ketraco, the project was 80% complete by May 2019 before changing its completion time to March 2020 and later to July then September. The wayleave hurdles said to have majorly contributed to the delays hit the project even months after President Uhuru Kenyatta signed the Land Value Amendment Act 2019 that provides for the assessment of the land value index for compulsory acquisition.
Kisumu County is currently being supplied by hydropower from Sondu Miriu โ Kisumu transmission line and Tororo โ Musaga โ Lessos โ Muhorini interconnector as well as the diesel-powered Muhuroni โ Mamboleo line. Once completed, will evacuate renewable energy from the Geothermal Power Plant at Olkaria, through Lessos, to Kisumu City. It will also supply reliable, affordable, and stable power to the Kisumu Port as well as strengthen the National grid.
