Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale on Saturday inspected ongoing works at a Kenya Power substation in Garissa County, as the government moves to implement a directive by President William Ruto aimed at ending persistent power outages in the region.
Speaking after the visit, Duale said the inspection was part of a broader government effort to ensure reliable electricity supply, which he described as essential for healthcare delivery, economic growth and improved livelihoods.
“On this working weekend, I conducted an inspection visit at the Kenya Power substation in Garissa County to monitor the implementation of H.E. President William Samoei Ruto's directive to upgrade transformers and resolve persistent power outages in the region,” Duale said.
The substation, commissioned in May 2016, initially operated with a single 7.5 MVA transformer.
However, rapid urban expansion in Garissa and plans to connect Dadaab town to the national grid quickly outpaced the facility’s capacity.
A subsequent upgrade saw the installation of a second transformer, doubling capacity to 15 MVA.
The government has now embarked on a more ambitious expansion, with a new 23 MVA transformer already delivered and set for installation.
According to Duale, the upgrade will raise the substation’s total capacity to 38 MVA, representing a fourfold increase since its commissioning.
“This represents a 400 per cent increase since commissioning, a sign of this administration's follow-through on its promises,” he said.
Installation of the new transformer is scheduled to begin on Monday and is expected to be completed within two weeks.
Once operational, the enhanced facility is projected to stabilize power supply across Garissa County and surrounding areas, including the expansive Dadaab region.
“Once operational, the enhanced substation will ensure stable, uninterrupted power for Garissa and even far-flung areas like Dadaab, fostering development and improving quality of life,” Duale added.
The Cabinet Secretary emphasized that the intervention aligns with the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), which prioritises equitable access to essential infrastructure as a driver of socio-economic development.
“The government reaffirms that no region will be left behind in accessing reliable electricity, a cornerstone of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda,” he said.
Duale was accompanied during the inspection by Garissa County Commissioner Ramadhan Mwabudzo and hosted at the site by Kenya Power County Manager Yunis Bishar.
The upgrade is expected to significantly reduce outages that have long affected households, businesses and critical services in the region, particularly in healthcare facilities that depend on stable electricity supply for operations.
The project underscores the government’s ongoing efforts to strengthen energy infrastructure in underserved areas, with officials expressing confidence that the improvements will unlock new opportunities for growth and investment in northern Kenya.