1,800 Kilome Households Slated for Electricity Connection by December

For years, darkness has been part of everyday life for some families in Kilome Constituency, Makueni County. But that reality is beginning to change, with 1,800 households expected to be connected to electricity by December this year.

The Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC) has embarked on a series of projects aimed at bringing electricity closer to homes, schools and other public institutions across the constituency.

The initiative was launched at Uiini village, where REREC Chief Executive Officer Dr Rose Mkalama said the project forms part of a wider plan to connect approximately 20,000 households across Makueni County by the end of the year.

Dr Mkalama, accompanied by former MP Regina Ndambuki and senior REREC officials led by General Manager Beatrice Njuguna, said expanding electricity access was central to efforts to transform rural communities.

REREC's mandate specifically includes implementing rural electrification programmes and supporting the expansion of renewable energy in Kenya.

At Uiini, 70 households and public institutions are set to benefit from the project.

Among the beneficiaries is Uiini Primary School, where headteacher Lawrence Muli welcomed the development as a timely intervention.

The school had been relying on solar power, but the system was vandalised, leaving the institution without a dependable source of electricity. The planned grid connection is therefore expected to restore a reliable power supply and support learning activities.

But electricity is also raising hopes about safety.

Resident Elizabeth Wanza says the community has been facing growing anxiety over hyena attacks, with livestock increasingly at risk.

She hopes that once the village is illuminated, wild animals will be less likely to venture into residential areas at night.

The electricity rollout then moved to Kithiani village, where REREC launched another project targeting 83 households.

The corporation is also set to launch additional projects in Kyakitoo and Mungala villages, extending the electrification drive to more communities.

Across Kenya, REREC continues to implement grid and rural-electrification projects aimed at expanding connectivity and supporting development in underserved areas. Its current grid-electrification programme lists projects targeting more than 28,000 customers nationally.

For Kilome residents, however, the statistics are personal.

Electricity could mean a child studying after sunset, a school using modern equipment, a business operating for longer hours or a family feeling safer outside its home.

And as construction and connections progress, communities across Kilome are looking towards December with one shared expectation: a brighter future powered by electricity.