The Ministry of Energy and Petroleum on Tuesday, February 13, called for proposals from eligible candidates to be part of the plan to offer electricity and clean cooking services in 14 counties.
In a notice, the ministry noted that this is part of the Kenya Off Grid Solar Access Project (KOSAP) which has financing from the World Bank. This is a project aimed at providing Kenyans with cheap electricity solutions and clean cooking services.
The ministry further explained that successful candidates will participate in either the Solar Service Providers Results-Based Financing (SSP RBF) Facility or the Clean Cooking Solution Service Providers Results-Based Financing (CCS RBF) Facility.
According to the ministry, the World Bank has offered Ksh1.9 billion (USD12 million) for the SSP RBF facility and Ksh500.8 million (USD3.2 million) for the CCS RBF facility.
Notably, this is an initiative in which the ministry has liaised with the World Bank to achieve the national target of universal access to electricity by 2026 and universal access to clean cooking solutions by 2028.
Some of the counties earmarked for the project include West Pokot, Turkana, Marsabit, Samburu, Isiolo, Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, Tana River, Lamu, Kilifi, Kwale, Taita Taveta and Narok.
All interested candidates have been urged to access application templates, eligibility requirements and application submission instructions online through kosap-fm.or.ke/call-for-proposals-rbf-facilities/.
"Applications will be accepted and evaluated on an ongoing basis with effect from the date of this advertisement," read part of the notice.
This is an initiative from the government that started in November 2018 and will end in May 2025. It will encourage the use of renewable sources of energy which are more friendly to the environment.
Under the projects, the selected counties will also receive solar-powered water pumps to increase sustainable supply.
Besides the Ministry of Energy and World Bank, Kenya Power and Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC) will be part of ensuring the earmarked counties have a stable supply of electricity.
Households in the 14 counties will also have access to a stand-alone solar system which is a more appropriate technology to deliver energy services.
