This archive report was first published on 28 December 2019.
On December 13, 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta commissioned the 50MW Garissa solar power plant, a massive project that has transformed the lives of residents in the area.
The project, which cost Sh13.5 billion, was designed to provide stable electricity to Garissa town and its surroundings, as well as to benefit the local community.
According to Issa Maalim, the area chief, the project has brought numerous benefits to the residents, including a reliable source of water, a school, a health facility, and a road.
The solar-powered water pump, which feeds about 250 households, has been a lifeline for the locals, providing them with a reliable source of water for domestic use and livestock.
The road from Garissa town through Raya market to Shabah village has been graded and is now motorable, making it easier for residents to access key amenities.
Residents are also benefiting from a school put up at Rahma village, which has an initial three classrooms, with a promise from REREC to construct five more classrooms and make it a complete primary school.
“The school will be opening with an ECDE class early next year. We expect to get a teacher because the school is registered. People are happy,” Maalim said.
There is also a four-roomed Baar Rahma Dispensary, which is about 300m from the school and is expected to become operational early next year when the county government posts staff there.
According to Maalim, this will ease congestion at the only health facility at Raya centre.
Residents are upbeat about the project, with Fatuma Yarow, a resident of Baar Rahma village, saying that the public facilities will open up the area and make life bearable for the locals, especially schoolchildren.
“Our children will now access school easily. The health facility is also a big boost,” Ms Yarow said.
According to REREC Chief Executive Officer Peter Mbugua, the project was designed to ensure that even as Garissa town and its environs enjoy a stable power connectivity, there are also fringe benefits to the local community, especially around the area where the project is based.
“We have been able to give them a school, a hospital, a solar powered borehole and a chief’s office. The local roads have also been graded and we hope all these will enable them have a quality life,” says Mr Mbugua.
He says during its construction, the project employed 600 people, mostly locals who were paid Sh700 per day.
Local business people are also upbeat, with Mumin Gedi, a businessman and the chairman of Baar Rahma village, saying that the cost of doing business in Garissa town is significantly going down since electricity is now more stable and reliable.
“With a reliable source of power, this place will be very attractive to investors and business people. We are also assured that all schools and health facilities will be connected to electricity,” Mr Gedi said.
