Ugunja Residents Validate Siaya County Energy Policy 2026-2035 Priorities During Ugunja Town Hall Public Participation Forum
By Brenda Holo
Residents of Ugunja Sub-County have endorsed key priorities proposed under the Siaya County Energy Policy 2026-2035 during a public participation forum held at Ugunja Town Hall.
The forum brought together residents, community leaders, youth, women groups, persons with disabilities and county officials to review the draft policy and provide input on strategies aimed at improving access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy across Siaya county.
Taking participants through the draft policy, Tobias Onyango, a technical officer from the Department of Roads, Public Works, Transport and Energy, outlined the ten strategic objectives that will guide energy development in Siaya over the next decade.
The policy seeks to strengthen governance, institutional, and coordination frameworks for effective energy sector management, including the establishment of a County Energy Directorate in line with the Energy Act, 2019 and the Constitution of Kenya, 2010.
Other objectives include facilitating inclusive and affordable access to electricity, promoting clean and sustainable cooking solutions, enhancing productive uses of renewable energy in key economic sectors, promoting energy efficiency and conservation, strengthening energy financing mechanisms, institutionalizing energy data management systems, mainstreaming gender and disability inclusion, integrating environmental sustainability and climate change considerations, and promoting research, innovation and capacity development in renewable energy technologies.
During the discussions, residents identified three priority areas they believe should receive immediate attention under the policy framework.
The first was facilitating inclusive and affordable access to electricity within the county mandate to support households, learning institutions, health facilities and businesses. Residents noted that improved electricity connectivity remains critical to economic development and service delivery.
The second priority was enhancing productive uses of renewable energy across key economic sectors, particularly agriculture, fisheries, trade and small enterprises.
Participants observed that renewable energy technologies have the potential to reduce production costs, create jobs and improve livelihoods.
The third priority focused on promoting research, innovation and capacity development in renewable energy and clean technologies.
Residents emphasized the need to equip young people and entrepreneurs with skills and knowledge to harness emerging opportunities in the green energy sector.
Isaack Ochola Ugunja Sub-County Administrator guided participants through a structured prioritization exercise that enabled residents to identify and rank the objectives they considered most critical to the area’s development needs.
The public participation forum forms part of the county government’s ongoing efforts to ensure that the Energy Policy 2026-2035 reflects the views and aspirations of residents before its adoption.
Energy planning became a devolved function following the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 and subsequent enactment of the Energy Act, 2019, which requires counties to develop policies and plans that support sustainable energy access, investment and management.
