Kenya Power Installs New Transformer in Gichugu Under Last Mile Connectivity Programme
A Kenya Power transformer has been installed at the Kongu Sub-Location in Gichugu Constituency, Kirinyaga County, under the government’s Last Mile Connectivity Programme, according to facebook.com.
The installation was highlighted by the Gichugu Member of Parliament, who shared news of the project on social media. The Last Mile Connectivity Programme is a Kenyan government initiative managed in partnership with Kenya Power, the country’s main electricity distribution company, aimed at extending grid access to households and small businesses that remain unconnected, particularly in rural and peri-urban areas.
Kirinyaga County, located in Kenya’s central region, is largely agricultural, with tea, coffee and horticultural farming forming the backbone of the local economy. Like many Kenyan counties, parts of Kirinyaga have historically had limited or unreliable access to the national grid, making household electrification a recurring concern for residents and policymakers. Transformers such as the one installed at Kongu serve as critical nodes in the distribution network, stepping down voltage from higher-voltage transmission lines to levels suitable for household and small commercial use.
Kenya Power, formally known as the Kenya Power and Lighting Company, has for years been the central player in the country’s electricity distribution sector. The Last Mile Connectivity Programme has sought to accelerate the pace of household connections by subsidising the cost of last-mile infrastructure — including transformers, distribution lines and connection fees — for eligible customers. Successive administrations have framed expanded electrification as essential to economic development, educational opportunity and improved quality of life in rural communities.
The transformer at Kongu is expected to improve supply reliability and enable additional households in the surrounding area to be connected to the national grid, supporting the broader goal of universal electricity access across the country.
Sources
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