Viewing Lake Turkana Wind Power through Vision 2030 lens

President Uhuru Kenyatta lays foundation stone during the ground breaking ceremony of the Lake Turkana Wind Power project at Sarima, Marsabit County, last week. [Photo:PSCU]

Construction of the Lake Turkana Wind Power project at Loiyangalani in Marsabit County, has kicked off with the inauguration by President Uhuru Kenyatta, last week. The project, expected to inject 310 megawatts of sustainable clean energy, is a private sector flagship project of Vision 2030 -- our long term development blueprint that aims to turn Kenya into a newly industrialising, middle-income country with a high quality of life to all Kenyans by 2030.

The private sector’s role in Vision 2030 flagship projects is as, if not more, important, as the government’s. This is because Vision 2030 is a lot more than just expanding our rail, roads and other infrastructure network – it is about transformation of society in its entirety by triggering economic growth. Already, the world is beginning to take keen note of strategic significance of Nairobi, and the country as a whole. That global giants such as Google and General Electric are setting up their African headquarters in Nairobi, is evidence to this. Retail chains such as Massmart and Carrefour are coming to town and massive real estate developments such as Garden City and the Two Rivers Project are coming up.