Kenyan president opens Chinese-built electricity station

NAIROBI -- Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday commissioned one of the energy projects that feeds into his four-point legacy agenda of driving manufacturing through cheaper and high quality power in Nairobi.

The president who is on his second and final five year term has set to nearly double the growth of manufacturing sector, provide new affordable houses, provide universal health insurance and support farmers to increase food yield in the next five years under the Big Four Agenda.

Kenyatta commissioned the City Centre 220KV Gas Insulated Sub-Station that will enable the country's manufacturing hub of Industrial Area in Nairobi, the entire city including Nairobi's financial district of Upper Hill to get uninterrupted high quality electricity.

"This project will greatly improve the quality of power in Nairobi's City Centre, serving the Industrial area, Mombasa road, Upperhill, the entire Central Business District (CBD), Lower hill and Kilimani area," Kenyatta said.

The substation, will handle the power coming from the Olkaria Geothermal Power Station and will create an alternative power chain for the city.

The project is being implemented by TBEA of China at a cost of 132 U.S. million dollars, funded by the Exim Bank of China through a twenty-year concessional loan.

"It therefore creates additional contingency in electricity supply thus enhancing the reliability of power in this area," he added.

Kenyatta said the improvement of power supply in the city is aimed at creating a conducive environment for business and industry so that they can in turn create more jobs for Kenyans.

"This initiative feeds into one of the key pillars of the Big Four Agenda, enhancing manufacturing, to create quality jobs for Kenyans," said Kenyatta.