On Friday, November 11, President William Ruto announced that Kenya Power (KPLC) would no longer charge new customers Ksh70,000 for connecting electricity.
The president confirmed that new clients will freely be connected to the national grid.
While addressing the Association of Pension Trustees and Administrators of Kenya, Ruto noted that charging the amount was not necessary anymore under his administration.
"Previously, a transformer that ought to serve 30 people was only serving 15 people. Then why not connect everyone for free -- in any case the transformer is not being used optimally," Ruto wondered.
He assured the nation that his government was working on modalities to make energy more affordable.
Ruto also revealed that they were crafting a framework to supply electricity with value addition.
As part of his digital super highway plan, the president intends to establish a rural electrification programme that is fused with a broadband connection.
Kenya Power announced in December 2021, plans to connect rural homes with high-speed Internet as part of the project to capitalise on burgeoning mobile data usage in the country.
KPLC will use fibre-optic cables attached to its transmission lines to provide internet services.
“In the medium to long-term, the company is exploring the lit fibre business to increase the penetration of internet connectivity, particularly in the rural areas,” announced Kenya Power in its 2021 annual report.
Kenya Power's plan, however, rattled Internet Service Providers (ISPs) who have been riding on its network to supply Internet.
Business experts argued that KPLC will have a major head-start in connecting rural homes with the Internet as it would use its rich electricity transmission network fused with fibre connections.
