By Peter Ochieng
Two Members of Parliament (MPs) from Garissa County have raised alarm over frequent power outages being experienced in the North Eastern County.
Ijara MP Abdi Ali Abdi and Garissa County Women Representative Umulkher Harun have both requested for statements from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Energy, over the frequent power disruption that has left parts of the County in darkness.
In his request, MP Abdi states that residents of Masalani and Ijara Wards of Garissa County have been suffering unsurmountable losses, as the power outages have greatly affected their way of life.
The lawmaker said that at times, the outages last for durations longer than 30 days, forcing households and businesses to suffer as perishable products such as milk and vegetables go bad.
“Can the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee of Energy provide us with the measures that the government had in place to ensure that the residents of Masalani and Ijara town have access to reliable electricity,” stated the MP.
Hon Abdi also sought for compensation measures for the businesses affected by the disruptions, urging the government to put up a power station in the locality.
Currently, he said, the only reliable power station servicing the area is located in Hola town, Tana River County.
On her part, Garissa County Women Representative Umulkher Harun alleges that the residents of Garissa are unable to go about their businesses, as they rely on electricity for much of their activity.
“In the recent past there have been frequent power outages in Garissa County that have disrupted critical services such as health facilities, institutions and commercial entities. The outages have also caused panic among the area residents noting that this may result in incidents of insecurity which will negatively impact the economic growth of the area,” she added.
She sought a response from the Committee of Energy on the steps taken by the Ministry of Energy to rectify the matter and ensure that stable electricity supply is permanently restored in the County.