The contract for the construction of the line was awarded in 2014 to Grupo Isolux Corsan, a Spanish company. The government paid more than Sh7 billion in penalties to investors behind the Lake Turkana wind power project for electricity that was not reaching Kenyans, in what could be the latest mega scandal. The penalties were due to the delayed completion of the Sh28.9 billion 430-kilometer high-voltage power line from the Lake Turkana wind turbines to Suswa substation in Narok, which is the country’s main interchange for electricity coming from different sources.
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President Uhuru Kenyatta and other leaders during the official inauguration of the Lake Turkana 310MW Wind Power project.
The government paid more than Sh7 billion in penalties to investors behind the Lake Turkana wind power project for electricity that was not reaching Kenyans, in what could be the latest mega scandal. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
The wind farm, the largest in Africa, with a capacity of 310 megawatts, enough to power up to one million homes, was supposed to inject the first 50 megawatts into the grid in October 2016 and the whole capacity by July 2017. It was to be completed in 2016, but it was not until September 2019 that President Uhuru Kenyatta inaugurated the power line in Suswa following years of delays after the Spanish company got into financial difficulties.
What is emerging is that the government spent billions to pay foreigners penalties as well as casual laborers shipped from China to complete the power line after the Spanish contractor closed shop. Interestingly, the latest tranche of Sh1.16 billion was paid by the government despite recommendations by the National Assembly that no more payments should be made until a special audit into all the payments is carried out. The amount was approved by the National Assembly during the Supplementary III budget on June 30, 2020.
Summary
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[li]It was not until September 2019 that President Uhuru Kenyatta inaugurated the power line in Suswa.[/li][li]This followed years of delays after the Spanish company got into financial difficulties.[/li][li]The wind farm as supposed to inject the first 50 megawatts into the grid in October 2016[/li][/ul]
https://www.nation.co.ke/kenya/news/how-kenya-paid-sh7bn-for-non-existent-power-1447506?fbclid=IwAR3kay377tzf6clYWNhsexu8_VSse2lcE_i4r9kuYqdC1PBYWSSB0PZirIA