The department is mandated to promote: sufficiency and reliability of power supply and energy efficiency in Homa Bay County; generation and uptake of alternative sources of energy, reticulation of energy suppliers and; exploitation of mineral resources including the regulation and control of the construction minerals industry.
Over the last financial years (2019/20), the sector’s achievements were as follows; Completion of a Pre-feasibility study on constructions Minerals, mapping of constructions minerals across the county, repair of 100 street lights across the county, installation of electric street lights in Ndhiwa Sub-County, Suba North and Rangwe Sub counties as well as signing and roll out of the One transformer per ward initiative in partnership with REREC. We have also initiated the construction of a Renewable energy center of Excellence for the county at Homa Bay Town to serve as a training facility to youth and women groups to build capacity in renewable energy across the county.
In the coming financial year 2020/21, the department will continue its development agenda by focusing on the construction/completion of the Renewable Energy Center, Completion of Repair and re-conditioning of solar street lights, Installation of transformers in wards as well as installation of electric street lights in sub-county headquarters. It is also planning to build a briquette making plant in Ndhiwa Sub-county to take advantage of sugarcane waste and to relieve pressure on firewood and conventional charcoal.
Further, in the financial year 2020-2021, we intend to commence marketing of Constructions Minerals sourced from Homa Bay county within the county and to other counties neighboring us.