KENYA:Over 6,000 pupils get electricity as govt. installs solar power in 33 schools.

More than 6000 students will directly benefit as the Kenyan Rural Electrification Authority (REA) installed solar systems in 33 public primary schools located in Tana River and Lamu counties.
According to a CapitalFM report, the project which cost about 58 million Kenyan Shilling (about N114m) was executed in partnership with Davis and Shirtliff.

It is part of the National Primary School Electrification project initiated in 2013.
The REA Project Supervisor for the Tana River and Lamu installations, Semeka Ong'ong'a, said the solar modules were used because the primary schools in the area were more than five kilometers from the national grid.


"As not all schools are close enough to the power grid to pull electricity, there was a need for an alternative and lasting solution. Our partnership with Davis and Shirtliff resulted from the need to power the schools that are off-grid in Tana River and Lamu counties," Ong'ong'a said
Also speaking, the Solar Division Manager at Davis and Shirtliff, Norman Chege, said the best solar equipment were installed.
"We have installed the best-in-class solar equipment that will serve the schools for many years to come,” Chege said.
"The equipment comes with a warranty of 25 years and we will be maintaining it for a year to ensure that it is working at its optimum capacity."

With its completion, students in the two coastal counties now have access to electricity, making way for the actualization of the government's plan to equip public primary schools across the country with laptops.