Shadrack is twenty-two years old and has been running his family business for one year, “This shop has been running for six years. It is not yet connected to KUDURA’s clean electricity, but I am anticipating a power connection soon. For now, I am using a small solar panel which powers a bulb to light up the shop, but I cannot use it after sundown because there is no sun, and the system has very little power storage.” He continued, “I use the system for my phone charging business. I bought a fridge, but my current source of power cannot support its power needs.”
Supported by the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG), through InfraCo, KUDURA is rolling out twenty-two new mini grids in communities across Turkana County, northern Kenya. Kimabur is one such community. With grant funding from PIDG TA, KUDURA has already switched on security lighting in Kimabur, and Shadrack says, “I have benefited from the security lighting project. There’s a lot of light now, which enables customers to visit my shop later in the evening. Even if I close my shop at 9pm, I know that I can walk home safely because the light is not far from my home.”
Looking to the benefits he sees of connecting to KUDURA’s reliable solar-battery storage mini grid, Shadrack concludes, “I believe that it will be safer to operate at night and will encourage more business. With stable power supply, I expect my business to expand because I will be able to sell cold drinks to people which I hope will move my stock and bring me more money. I cannot wait for the power to start flowing!”
