According to Keter, the programme was designed to enhance national security, sanitation and to stimulate a 24-hour economy in counties by providing modern street lighting infrastructure/FILE
The project, which involves installation and repair of streetlights, lighting up public and informal settlements, was launched in July 2014.
According to Keter, the programme was designed to enhance national security, sanitation and to stimulate a 24-hour economy in counties by providing modern street lighting infrastructure.
“By the time the project is completed early next year, we expect 52 cities and towns around the country to be lit. Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Kwale, Kilifi and Nyeri and a number of other towns have already been covered,” he said.
The Government has estimated that the project will cost about Sh7 billion in its entirety, which Keter said, will be rendered by the government.
“Contrary to bizarre claims and propaganda by some sources, the National Public Lighting Project is fully funded by the national government and there are no donors involved,” Keter said.
At the same time, Keter also said that all public primary schools in the country are expected to be connected to electricity by January 31, 2016.
According to the Cabinet Secretary, Kenya Power and Lighting Company and Rural Electrification Authority received the necessary funding to enable them to meet the Sunday deadline.
“We have about 22,000 public Primary schools in the country. Already, 20,000 thousand have been connected. We are therefore not worried as we expect the relevant bodies to have met the deadline.”
Additionally, Keter said that the government was working towards increasing electricity connectivity to one million households by June this year.
He also said that the government is planning to have an additional two million households connected to electricity in 2017.