Factors influencing the implementation of rural electrification programme in rural areas; a case of Kilifi county

Abstract

The Government has invested in rural communities with a sole aim of improving the social and economic lives of those living in the rural areas. This is through programme and projects such as rural electrification. These projects are expensive both in design and implementation. One of these areas that have been earmarked by the government is Kilifi County. The question is whether these projects deliver the desired outcome. The purpose of this study was therefore to find out factors that influence the implementation of rural electrification programme in Kilifi County. The objectives of the study were, to assess the influence of institutional reforms on implementation of rural electrification, to examine the influence of millennium development goals on implementation of rural electrification programme, to determine the extent to which public participation influence the implementation of rural electrification programme and to assess the influence of political support on implementation of rural electrification programme. The study adopted a descriptive design of the implementation. The target population was 100 respondents which included trading centers, schools and dispensaries connected or already identified to be connected spread through the constituencies in Kilifi County and that are likely to benefit through the programme. The stratified randomized sampling design was used. Data collection was carried out through questionnaires and drop and pick method was used to distribute the questionnaires. The data was analyzed quantitatively using statistical package for social sciences and presented through tables showing frequencies, percentages, means and chisquare. The findings that were made as follows: - Donor funding was the major attribute of improvement from institutional reforms that contribute to an improvement of rural electrification programme, Enhanced universal primary education which is a major goal to achieving MDGs was voted the best of the Millennium development goals achievements as a result of implementation of REP, On ways in which public participation has influenced implementation of REP,community empowerment was voted to be the best influence of public participation on REP and the study revealed that 49.4% of the respondents think that the level of political support is Medium.The study recommends that Institutional reform measures that include integration of Rural electrification with rural development to ensure maximization of the benefits of electrification and to facilitate increased electricity demand should be put in place. In this regard, rural development should facilitate the development of rural businesses and complementing infrastructure and services such as roads, water supply, schools and health services. The study also recommends an urgent need to establish reliable databases on the electrification of the poor. This is absolutely essential for monitoring rural electrification programmes to ensure they are aligned to the millennium development goals and vision 2030.Communities must also take a greater role and responsibility in Rural electrification activities. This can be achieved by engaging and involving community members in rural electrification programmes such as construction of lines, granting of way leaves permission through their land for electricity lines construction. Regulators must also ensure consumer protection through price regulation and enforcement of performance standards. The performance of the electrification agencies should be evaluated by the number of new connections, particularly in poor rural areas. Significantly, higher rural electrification targets than those currently set should be established. The targets should include explicit and ambitious goals for the electrification of the poor.