Tharaka Nithi County Governor Muthomi Njuki has leveled accusations against Kenya Power (KPLC), alleging that the utility company is sabotaging President Ruto's ambitious industrial projects. Governor Njuki voiced his concerns during the Jamhuri Day celebrations at the Chuka DC grounds, emphasizing the pivotal role of a stable power supply in realizing Ruto's plan to establish industrial parks in collaboration with counties.
Expressing dismay over persistent power outages, Njuki questioned the feasibility of launching 47 industrial parks in Kenya under such circumstances. He emphasized that investigating and addressing the consistent power interruptions was crucial to safeguarding President Ruto's legacy.
Njuki, who also serves as the Council of Governors’ (CoG) Health Committee chairperson, urged President Ruto to take decisive action against officials at Kenya Power, asserting that citizens who had paid for power connections were still waiting after 15 years.
Highlighting the issue of power distribution rather than production, Njuki argued that the country had ample electricity generation capacity, citing an increase from 18,000 to 27,000 megawatts during the previous administration.
The governor criticized Kenya Power, labeling it a monopoly that failed to meet the expectations of Kenyan consumers despite high electricity bills. He found it perplexing that a country like Kenya, recognized regionally, suffered frequent power outages affecting key infrastructure like the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Njuki questioned the rationale behind electricity rationing when dams were overflowing, challenging Energy CS Davis Chirchir's explanation that a water shortage and an overload on the Kisumu-Muhoroni transmission line caused the outage on Sunday, December 10.
In addition, Governor Njuki urged President Ruto to implement measures to alleviate the impact of the high cost of living on Kenyans while calling for patience from the citizens.