KPLC bulbs project starts in two weeks

A government project that will see selected Kenyans exchange their ordinary bulbs for energy conserving ones at no cost is scheduled to start later this month.

The project will be launched in two weeks’ time, after which the bulbs will start being distributed, said the communication department of the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) on Wednesday in response to our inquiries. However, it is still unclear who will benefit and how many bulbs each one is entitled to under a project involving 1.25 million bulbs.

“The criterion is being worked out and will be communicated during the launch. But the beneficiaries are drawn from all over the country and have been already selected based on their consumption habits,” KPLC said of the project, which was initially scheduled for October 2009.

Orders for bulbs

The firm attributed the delay to procurement processes. In Wednesday’s response, KPLC said two contracted companies had placed orders for the bulbs, being manufactured and shipped in batches from Germany.

The first batch landed on January 10, 2010, and the shipment is being cleared at the port, said the firm. The government is funding their procurement at a cost of Sh263 for each bulb, translating to about Sh329 million for the consignment.

The special bulbs are said to last more than a year and save up to 80 per cent of power consumed by ordinary bulbs. They will cut power demand by up to 49MW and ease pressure on the national grid.