Lessos-Tororo: Mega electricity project headed for trouble

By Macharia Kamau

Trouble might be brewing on the 220 kilovolts electricity transmission line between Lessos in Nandi Hills and Tororo in Uganda six months before the project kicks off.

The 130-kilometre line is part of a planned mega electricity transmission infrastructure linking six countries in the region, and is expected to set stage for a platform for trade export and import of electricity among the countries.

But the Kenya Nile Discourse Forum (KNDF) says those in counties where the line will pass have been marginalised from the planning stages of the Sh38.3 billion ($383 million) project. This, the forum points out, might bring complications once construction begins.

Made aware

"The communities have not been made aware of the benefits of the project and what would be required of them. This is something that might set stage for resistance when construction works begin," said Daniel Nyabera, the national programme co-ordinator of KNDF, which is the Kenyan chapter of the Nile Discourse Forum (NDF) — the advocacy arm of the Nile Basin Initiative.

"Displacement and resettlement will affect different community members in different ways, given the social dynamics, and they should be made aware of what is going to take place, as well as how they can benefit from the line once its is complete."

Design and cost

"The compensation formula has also not been adequately discussed and agreed upon between the project implementation team and local communities."

Nyabera said while KNDF would undertake community awareness programme, the Kenya electricity transmission company (Ketraco) – which will implement the project in Kenya – should ensure participation in the early stages.

Ketraco will put up the line between Lessos and the Kenya Uganda border while its Ugandan counterpart will cater for the construction of the Ugandan bit of the line.

The electricity transmission line, which has been funded by the African Development Bank, is scheduled to start in the next six months, and should be completed by 2014.

Currently, a consultant is on site to determine the design and cost for the project. Preliminary estimates projected the line to cost $140 million.

The line is part of a planned project aims at interconnecting the electricity of what is referred to as ‘Nile Equatorial Lakes Countries.’ The project runs across six countries that share Nile resources. The entire project is estimated to cost $383 million.

Courtesy of EA Standard