Deal factsCountry: Kenya · Technology: Transmission · Stage: Commissioning · Size: 109 km, 132 kV · Parties: KETRACO, Shyama Power, Export-Import Bank of India
Kenya’s President William Ruto has commissioned a 109 kilometre, 132 kV transmission line that connects Machakos, Konza, Isinya and Namanga in the south of the country. The project, implemented by the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO) with India’s Shyama Power Limited as contractor, includes 132/33 kV substations and was financed by the Government of Kenya together with India’s Export-Import Bank. The project cost has not been disclosed.
The line has been delivered in stages over a decade. The 15 kilometre Machakos to Konza section was energised in October 2016, while the 94 kilometre Isinya to Namanga stretch was commissioned in February 2024. This week’s ceremony marks the completion of the full corridor, which now provides a continuous 132 kV backbone from Machakos County through Konza Technopolis and Kajiado County to the Namanga border crossing with Tanzania.
The route matters for two reasons. Konza Technopolis is the government’s flagship technology city and needs stable bulk supply to attract data centres and manufacturing tenants, and the Namanga corridor is one of the busiest trade routes between Kenya and Tanzania. Both areas have relied on weaker distribution feeds that limited industrial connections and exposed customers to outages.
Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi framed the line as part of the government’s industrialisation push, saying that “reliable electricity is at the heart of this agenda”. The Indian financing follows a familiar pattern for KETRACO, which has drawn on export credit from several partners to build out a transmission network that historically lagged behind generation additions.
Why does this matter?
Kenya has ample generation but a thin grid, so every new 132 kV corridor unlocks industrial demand that was previously stranded. The Machakos to Namanga line strengthens supply to a technology hub and a cross-border trade route at once, and it shows export credit agencies remain willing to fund African transmission when a state utility owns the asset.
What happens next?
KETRACO will hand the corridor over to normal operations and Kenya Power is expected to connect new commercial and industrial customers along the route, particularly around Konza and Kajiado. Investors will watch whether the improved supply at Namanga supports cross-border power trade with Tanzania, and whether Kenya lines up further export credit for the remaining gaps in its 132 kV and 400 kV network.
Sources: Capital FM: 109km Power Line Linking Machakos, Konza and Namanga Commissioned; allAfrica: Kenya: 109km Power Line Linking Machakos, Konza and Namanga Commissioned
More from the pipeline: all commissioned projects · Kenya · the full pipeline map
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