MPs Raise Alarm Over Engineer Exodus, Delays in Kenya–Ethiopia Power Link Projects

 Members of Parliament have raised concerns over the growing loss of skilled engineers, infrastructure vandalism, and funding shortfalls threatening key energy projects during an inspection tour of the Kenya–Ethiopia electricity interconnection and geothermal facilities in the Rift Valley.

The National Assembly Departmental Committee on Energy and Petroleum visited the Suswa electricity hub in Narok County and geothermal plants in Olkaria, Nakuru County, to assess progress in Kenya’s regional power integration programme and the challenges facing the energy sector.

At the centre of the inspection was the 500kV High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission corridor — a 1,065-kilometre power line linking Kenya and Ethiopia. The Suswa complex also hosts major 400kV and 220kV substations critical to the national grid.

Officials informed lawmakers that the hub currently supplies nearly 40 per cent of Kenya’s electricity demand through geothermal power generated in Olkaria and wind energy from the Lake Turkana Wind Power project. Kenya imports about 200MW of electricity from Ethiopia during peak hours and 65MW during off-peak periods, although this represents only a fraction of the line’s 2,000MW capacity.

However, legislators expressed concern over the increasing migration of highly trained engineers to foreign countries, warning that the trend could weaken the country’s technical capacity in the long term.

Chepalungu MP Victor Koech said the country risked losing critical expertise despite investing heavily in specialised training programmes.

“You have trained 18 engineers and already lost seven of them to Europe within three years. It is very dangerous for the country to invest heavily in training experts only for them to leave immediately after gaining experience,” said Koech.

The lawmaker urged energy agencies to consider introducing binding agreements requiring engineers trained using public funds to serve locally for a specified period before pursuing opportunities abroad.

The Committee also voiced concern over vandalism targeting optical fibre infrastructure along the transmission corridor.

Ruiru MP Simon King’ara warned that repeated attacks on the infrastructure could jeopardise the multi-billion-shilling project.

“If vandalism is not taken care of, the project becomes obsolete. Since you are the transmitters of this power, why can’t you advise more aggressively on how to secure this infrastructure?” he posed.

Senior Engineer Samson Akuto told the Committee that authorities had installed sensors and CCTV cameras in vulnerable sections of the line to enhance security.

“We have a challenge with response time. That is why we are seeking to acquire drones and choppers to help deal with these incidents swiftly,” said Akuto.

He added that plans were underway to install Static Synchronous Compensator (STATCOM) systems to improve voltage stabilisation along the network.

At the Suswa geothermal field, MPs found a drilling rig transferred from Menengai lying idle due to lack of funding. Officials from the Geothermal Development Company (GDC) said the stalled project was costing approximately Ksh5 million daily in operational and staffing expenses.

The officials further disclosed that an additional Ksh151 million was needed to complete a water intake system before drilling operations could begin.

Meanwhile, at Olkaria, Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) is undertaking a rehabilitation programme at Olkaria I — Africa’s oldest geothermal power plant, operational since 1981.

The rehabilitation project aims to increase electricity generation from 45MW to 63MW through the installation of modern high-efficiency turbines that use less steam per megawatt produced.

KenGen is also planning the construction of “topping plants” at Olkaria I and II, expected to inject an additional 40MW into the national grid by harnessing excess high-pressure steam currently going to waste.

Officials revealed that the Ksh15 billion rehabilitation programme has faced several setbacks, including community protests, theft of construction materials, and a Ksh1.5 billion budget cut, raising concerns over delays in delivering additional power capacity to the grid.