Community project to help Imenti North residents get cheap power

Ndurumo Community Hydro Electric Power Project Chairman Isaiah Riungu at Ndurumo waterfall on River Kathita where a 320KW project is being set up. PHOTO | DAVID MUCHUI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Through funding from the Small Grants Programme, the community has constructed an intake and 320m canal.
  • Project technical assistant Hosea Mwirabua said the Ministry of Energy has pledged to fund the project to the tune of Sh50 million.
  • Once complete, members within a 15km radius will be connected and are expected to pay about Sh3 for every unit of power.
  • The chairman said the project will benefit residents and institutions in five villages in Imenti North.

About 1,000 residents of Imenti North in Meru County will soon benefit from cheap power after a 320 kilowatt hydroelectric project is complete.

The second phase of Ndurumo hydroelectric power project on River Kathita in Thuura, is planned to start in a month’s time.

The project’s chairman Isaiah Riungu told Nation.co.ke that the community is expecting to receive funding from the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum to start power production.

Through funding from the Small Grants Programme, the community has constructed an intake and 320m canal.

Once complete, members within a 15km radius will be connected and are expected to pay about Sh3 for every unit of power.

Project technical assistant Hosea Mwirabua said the Ministry of Energy has pledged to fund the project to the tune of Sh50 million.

“We expect the Ministry of Energy to provide the powerhouse, generator, turbines, control room and materials for the remaining civil works. The members are ready to provide labour to complete the project,” Mr Mwirabua said.

He said they are yet to decide on the mode of power distribution since a 320KW capacity does not qualify for a power purchasing agreement (PPA) with Kenya Power.

PARTNERED WITH REA

“We have already partnered with the Rural Electrification Authority for power lines.

“We will be considering putting up our own power line or using the existing Kenya Power infrastructure.

“We can also consider net metering where Kenya Power will pay us for the surplus units.

“In case our members use more units than what we produce, then we can pay the excess to Kenya power,” he said.

The project is located near a 20 metre waterfall but the hydroelectric pipeline (penstock) will be about 37 metres high.

“Besides getting cheap power, we will also be able to pump water for domestic use to all our members,” he said.

The chairman said the project will benefit residents and institutions in five villages in Imenti North.

NATIONAL GRID

“We thought about this project in 1999 because we could not access electricity from the national grid.

“We mobilised about 1,500 members who contributed Sh200.

"The community has so far put in more than Sh3 million,” Mr Riungu said.

Mr Jeremiah Mathiu, a member, said they are eager to see the project complete as they have not been connected to the grid despite living about seven kilometres from Meru Town.

A similar project on the same river by the Mt Kenya community based organization will add an extra 600KW.

The project will cost Sh60 million and will be financed by the Community Development Finance Trust (CDTF).