Garissa Power Substation Gets Major Boost as Capacity Jumps to 38 MVA

Residents and businesses in Garissa County are set for a major boost in electricity supply after Kenya Power completed an upgrade of the county's main power substation, raising its capacity from 15 MVA to 38 MVA. The expansion is expected to put an end to the chronic outages that have long hampered economic activity across the region.

The substation has struggled to keep pace with the county's growth for years. When it was first commissioned in May 2016, it carried a 7.5 MVA transformer — a figure that quickly proved insufficient as Garissa urbanized and electricity demand climbed. Businesses that depend on refrigeration bore the brunt of the persistent supply failures, losing stock and income during frequent blackouts.

Energy Principal Secretary Alex Wachira, who was present during an inspection of the facility, confirmed that a new 23 MVA transformer was being brought in to supplement the existing infrastructure. "We are going to have a total of 30.5MVA, which means that Garissa and its environs will be able to absorb power up to 30 megawatts," he said, signalling that the county would soon have far greater capacity to meet its electricity needs.

Beyond Garissa town, the upgrade holds particular promise for remote sub-counties like Dadaab and Balambala, which have historically depended on expensive diesel-powered mini-grids. Integrating these areas into a more reliable grid supply is expected to lower energy costs and open doors to commerce and services that were previously unviable in those communities.

Wachira also placed the upgrade in a broader national context, noting that Kenya's electricity demand reached a fresh record peak of 2,502 megawatts during the same week as the inspection visit. The Garissa expansion is therefore part of a larger drive to ensure the national grid can keep up with rising consumption in all corners of the country.

Garissa Township MP Dekow Mohamed welcomed the development and credited President William Ruto's personal commitment to driving the project forward. The legislator stressed that unreliable power had long been a barrier for businesses that had considered setting up operations in the county. "Many of the investors who wanted to come and invest in Garissa County could not do it because of the power supply issues," he said, expressing confidence that the improved infrastructure would now attract fresh investment and stimulate economic growth.

Kenya Power indicated that commissioning of the upgraded substation was expected to begin within days of the inspection, meaning residents across Garissa and its surrounding areas could begin feeling the benefits very soon.