Makueni hospital to save Ksh.7M yearly after solar panels installed in UK partnership

The United Kingdom Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (UK PACT) team in a joint partnership with Makueni County has installed solar panels with a capacity of 200 kilowatts at the Makueni County Referral Hospital.

The British High Commission in Kenya on Wednesday made the announcement saying the project would be instrumental in saving on the hospital’s power costs, with a long-term goal of addressing the issue of climate change in the country and continent.

“The UK-Kenya partnership is delivering energy planning and nature-based solutions to climate change in Makueni County,” read a statement to newsrooms.

“The team joined by Makueni County officials for Energy & Environment visited Makueni County Referral Hospital and saw the installation of solar panels that will enable 100% reliance on solar power.”

It added: “The project is jointly supported by the UK and the County Government and will result in a solar capacity of 200 kilowatts peak load, which is expected to save power costs for the hospital by Ksh.7 million annually.”

Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jnr who accompanied UK PACT on their two-day visit underscored the impact of transitioning to renewable and green energy in climate change.

He said the partnership would put in place a state-of-the-art County Energy Center in Kisingo to serve the Makueni and Kenya at large.

“We are pleased to host UK PACT in Makueni County. The visit demonstrates our commitment to renewable energy and exploring nature-based solutions to support ecosystem restoration. Our county is endowed with natural resources, and we have fully integrated green energy in our County Energy Plan,” said Mutula.

On his part, Economic Counsellor at the British High Commission Daniel Wilcox expressed his commitment to working with Kenya in its push for green energy and ecosystem restoration of the ecosystem.

Mr. Wilcox exuded his confidence in the existing ties between the UK and Kenya pointing out that; “Conservation efforts have the potential to be an engine of economic growth. We value our partnership with Kenya, and we are committed to tackling joint environmental and climate change issues for the sake of future generations.”

“This is why we are working with counties like Makueni towards the realisation of green energy and land and ecosystem restoration. We are committed to strengthening the community’s capacity to respond to climate change and support the productive use of energy through useful energy plans.”

He added: “I applaud the government of Makueni County for establishing an Energy Department to enable the energy sector to be mainstreamed across all the other departments within the county and also for their active participation in sensitisation workshops that have led to the successful completion of the County Energy Plans.” 

The joint team also visited farmers who are Trainers-of-Trainers (ToTs) on forest and land restoration and saw the interventions being implemented which have contributed to the improvement of farmers’ livelihoods.

Water conservation efforts such as water channelling to farm ponds, the use of shade nets for minimising water loss through evaporation and tree nursery workers who are supporting communities to grow trees were also displayed.