The Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (KETRACO) has energized a new 86.4-kilometre transmission line linking Nanyuki and Rumuruti, in a move expected to improve electricity supply and support growing economic activity in Laikipia and the wider Mount Kenya region.
The 132kV Nanyuki-Rumuruti Transmission Line was energized at 4:04 p.m. on Friday, October 2, 2026, with both the 132kV and 33kV voltages confirmed stable.
The project is expected to address a long-standing power supply constraint in Rumuruti, which has traditionally depended on a long 33kV distribution line from Lanet.
With the new transmission connection, the distribution network serving Rumuruti will be shortened by about 50 percent. KETRACO says this will help reduce technical losses while improving the quality, efficiency and reliability of electricity supply.
The line runs for 86.4 kilometres and includes about 16.8 kilometres of underground cable. It was constructed on double-circuit towers, although the new transmission line itself is a single-circuit line.
The underground section was used in the area around Laikipia Airbase following operational and security concerns raised by the Kenya Defence Forces. The section was designed and approved in line with requirements from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority.
New power capacity for businesses and industries
Beyond improving electricity reliability, the new transmission infrastructure is expected to provide additional capacity for economic activities across the region.
These include agro-processing, irrigation, flower farming, manufacturing, hospitality and other businesses that depend on a stable electricity supply.
KETRACO Managing Director Tom Imbo said the project should give businesses and investors greater confidence to expand their operations in the region.
‘’We are calling on small and medium-sized enterprises, industries and investors to come and invest in this region with greater confidence, because we are strengthening the power supply they need to grow,’’ said Imbo.
He said the improved connection would support farmers, businesses and industries in Laikipia, Nyahururu and the wider Mount Kenya region as they expand their operations and create jobs.
The project also adds flexibility to the transmission network, allowing KETRACO to strengthen how electricity is supplied to Laikipia, Nyahururu and neighbouring areas.
Part of wider transmission expansion
The Nanyuki-Rumuruti project comes shortly after KETRACO energized the 132kV Nanyuki-Isiolo Transmission Line.
Together, the projects strengthen the high-voltage transmission network serving Nanyuki, Isiolo, Meru, Laikipia and the wider Upper Eastern region.
The Nanyuki-Rumuruti project was jointly financed by the Government of Kenya, the African Development Bank and Exim Bank of India.
The underground cable works were carried out by Dongfang Electric International Corporation and Qingdao Hanhe Cable Company Limited at a contract cost of USD 14.3075 million.
The overhead transmission works were initially undertaken by Jyoti Structures Limited and later completed by China CAMC Engineering Co. Ltd. (CAMCE) at a contract cost of USD 4.580425 million.
KETRACO said the successful energization was the result of the work of its technical, operational and support teams, with the company’s board providing oversight during the project.
The Nanyuki-Rumuruti line is part of KETRACO’s wider programme to expand Kenya’s high-voltage transmission network as electricity demand grows and to improve the resilience of the country’s power system.
