Residents of Wajir can breathed a sigh of relief after the Kenya Power moved to end frequent electricity outages.
On Wednesday, engineers repaired engines with a total output of 2600-2700KW. The general manager in charge of all off-grid stations, Charles Kapsoi, led his team to repair One Geneset (ABC) that had stalled.
He said the repairs will provide a back-up in case of a fault on any of the three engines.
Wajir East MP Rashid Kassim, who has been at the forefront in engaging top officials from Kenya Power, was accompanied by a team of engineers to the Wajir power station.
The engineers aimed to fully stabilise power in the fast-growing town.
“This is indeed good news to the people of Wajir and especially Wajir East, which I represent. Things can only get better in as a far as having stable power is concerned. I would like to assure the residents that I will continuously follow up on this electricity issues until normalcy is returned,” Kassim said.
He regretted that the problem had gone on for far too long, subjecting the residents to suffering.
The lawmaker said while he appreciated the efforts being put in place by Kenya Power to address the problem, long-term solutions remained in the connection of the area to the national grid.
He said together with his fellow leaders, they had continuously engaged the President to honour his earlier pledge of linking the area to the national grid.
“The President is fully aware of the challenges of the town. One of the key legacies he wants to leave behind other than finalising the grid for Garissa is to have a grid for Wajir before the end of his term. I am quite optimistic that will be achieved,” he said.
Off-grid stations general manager Kapsoi acknowledged that the town’s rapid growth was the biggest challenge, but was quick to add that they have adequate capacity to supply the town for now.
The ministry has also initiated the process of procuring a one megawatt engine and solar hybrid to generate a further 3MW.
Wajir residents who have been subjected to frequent power outages have time and again urged the relevant authorities to correct the situation.
Edited by Henry Makori