EVALUATING THE EFFECT OF INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS ON ELECTRICITY ACCESS IN RURAL KENYA
Abstract
Purpose: The study sought to investigate the effect of institutional reforms in the electricity subsector on rural electrification.
Introduction: Access to electricity in rural areas is very important to the beneficiary households, the community and the economy at large. Indeed, one of the elements upon which the realization of Kenya’s Vision 2030 is hinged on, is the access to electricity. Cognizant of this, the government of Kenya has over the years implemented various institutional reforms through regulatory agencies like Rural Electrification Authority, Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority and Kenya power to accelerate the adoption of electricity in rural areas.
Methodology: The study adopted a survey design with a sample size of 384 drawn from rural households in Kakamega, Uasin Gishu and Nyandarua counties. Data was collected using questionnaires and analysed by both descriptive and multiple logistic regression.
Findings: The study has established that subsidies and legal reforms have a positive effect on access to electricity in rural Kenya. In addition, less than 50% of Kenyans in rural areas have access to electricity and that the electrification rate differs from one county to the other. Furthermore, most rural households are not aware of the institutional reforms in the electricity sub-sector.
Recommendation: The study suggest that the government should maintain the current tariff and subsidy programmes and sensitize the rural population on the reforms in the electricity sub-sector to enhance rural electrification.
Keywords: Access to electricity, institutional reforms, Logistic regression, Rural.
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