Ruto Launches Sh4.1bn Power Plan to Connect 17,000 Homes in Wajir

President William Ruto has Launched a Sh4.1 billion electrification programme for Wajir County, with the plan set to connect an additional 17,000 households to electricity.

He announced the initiative during the commissioning of a solar hybrid power plant in Habaswein Town, saying it forms part of a wider government push to accelerate development in northern Kenya, where infrastructure and services have long trailed the national average.

The programme sits within the government’s affirmative action drive to narrow the development gap in historically underserved areas. Ruto pointed to progress already made by the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation, while noting that electrification levels in the region still remain below the countrywide average.

Habaswein Town has already benefited from earlier government work that connected about 1,700 households to the grid.

The President also announced continued investment in hybrid mini-grid systems tailored to arid and semi-arid areas. Wajir County is expected to receive 26 mini-grids under the new plan, a move likely to support local businesses, improve public services and stimulate economic activity.

The solar hybrid power plant commissioned in Habaswein is part of the Last Mile Electrification Programme and includes a 54-kilometre grid extension linking Habaswein, Lagdima, Qanchara, Samattah and Lagbogol to the national network.

Beyond homes, the project will also supply electricity to schools, health facilities, markets and places of worship, widening its impact across the county.

Wajir South MP Mohamed Adow welcomed the investment, noting that ongoing energy projects in the constituency are worth nearly Sh2 billion. Governor Ahmed Abdullahi Jiir also backed the government’s interventions, pointing to other development projects already under way in the county.

The event was attended by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, Energy Principal Secretary Alex Wachira, Wajir Deputy Governor Ahmed Muhumed Abdi and officials from REREC and Kenya Power.