Uhuru confirms state commitment to transparency in mega projects

By James Mwambai

NAIROBI, KENYA: President Uhuru Kenyatta has assured of his Government’s commitment to transparency and accountability in undertaking mega projects in the country.

Speaking at State House Nairobi when he held talks with the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the General Electric Company Mr. Jeffrey R. Immelt, President Kenyatta said his Government will continue partnering with the private sector in its development agenda.

The President said he is keen on ensuring transparency and accountability which are key to the success of any economic venture.

The President urged American companies to emulate China by setting up a system which will easily help in identifying and financing companies involved in undertaking mega projects.

General Electric Company is partnering with Kenyan government in setting up one of the largest wind generation project to develop 1,000 megawatts of power in the country.

The 60.8MW Kinangop Wind Park is set to come online in the middle of 2015, and is one of the several wind and geothermal projects in Kenya, where the government has pledged to ramp up output to meet growing demand for electricity.

Another plant, the 300MW Lake Turkana Wind Power project, is expected to be completed in 2016 and will overtake Kinangop as the biggest wind farm in Kenya.

The power plants are part of Kenya’s plans to fill a power supply shortfall.

Kenya plans to spend as much as $50 billion over the next 20 years to meet a 14 percent annual increase in electricity demand.