Uriri: The Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum, Opiyo Wandayi, has announced that the government has secured Sh.5 billion to upgrade and expand the Gogo hydro plant, which aims to increase its power generation capacity from two to 8.6 megawatts. This development was revealed during a tree-planting session at Midida Primary School in Uriri Sub County, part of a broader effort to conserve water resources for the Gogo Power Plant.
According to Kenya News Agency, Migori County has already benefited from a Sh6 billion electrification program. Out of this, Sh800,000 million has been allocated to the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Cooperation (REREC) for infrastructure development, power distribution, and last-mile connectivity. Wandayi emphasized the Ministry of Energy’s commitment to addressing the country’s power shortages, stating that the Gogo hydro plant’s upgrade would help mitigate power outages in the region and create job opportunities for local residents.
Wandayi assured that additional funds would be allocated to improve power connectivity across various counties. He also highlighted the Ministry’s environmental initiatives, mentioning that, as of March this year, eleven million trees had been planted to help the government achieve a forest cover of 30 percent by 2030. The CS stressed the importance of sustainable environmental practices and urged residents to actively combat deforestation.
The tree-planting initiative aims to engage forest conservators and local farmers to plant over 500,000 trees across the Nyanza region, targeting deforestation reversal and landscape restoration. ‘My Ministry has issued out 100,000 seedlings to Migori County to plant during these long rains to help improve and conserve Gogo Power Plant and other wetland areas,’ Wandayi announced. He encouraged locals to continue the tree-planting efforts to boost the forest cover, currently below two percent.
Migori Governor Ochilo Ayacko expressed support for the Gogo Hydro plant expansion, recognizing it as a transformative government project. He urged CS Wandayi to prioritize regions lagging in power connectivity to foster economic growth. The Governor also committed to collaborating with the national government to implement key energy initiatives across Migori’s 12 sub-counties.