Ministry of Energy Handover Takeover

Mr. Davis Chirchir took over as the Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum with a call to the ministry’s agencies to work together in a bid to produce power at a competitive cost.

He said in as much as power affordability and accessibility were desirable, providing the same, especially to industrial consumers at a competitive cost, was a sure way of attracting investment in the energy sector which in turn would create the much-needed employment.

The CS spoke at Kawi Complex in Nairobi when he took over from the outgoing Energy CS Ambassador (Dr.) Monica Juma who has also been acting as the CS for Petroleum and Mining. Present during the ceremony were the Energy Chief Administrative Secretary Zackary Ayieko, Principal Secretaries Gordon Kihalangwa (Energy) and Andrew Kamau (Petroleum), all CEOs of State Corporations under the Ministry and Heads of departments.

Mr. Chirchir warned against overrunning of projects saying ongoing projects should be completed before new ones are initiated. He also called on CEOs of the State corporations under the Ministry to think through project proposals before endorsing them to avoid entering into power production and distribution agreements with unrealistic cost implications to the taxpayer.

The CS emphasized on proper use of government resources to ensure project timelines were met. He also stressed on the need to safeguard critical energy infrastructure noting that a slight interference with their operations would badly affect the economy in general.

Dr. Juma expressed confidence that the Ministry and its agencies would pitch for Kenya’s interests and opportunities globally during the forthcoming UN Climate Change (COP27) conference scheduled for this month in Egypt.

The outgoing CS, currently a nominee to the National Security Advisor slot to the government, remained optimistic that the highly trained professionals working in the Ministry, would help change perception on the strategic importance and centrality of energy in the country’s development. She noted that at one time, there were over 2, 300 negative media reports on the energy sector but that the number had drastically gone down in the last few months.

Dr. Juma said she was happy to have been part of the team that spearheaded reforms in the energy sector saying she was optimistic that the new CS would further advance the reforms to make Kenya  energy secure.

By Njoroge Mwaura.