EU Backs KSh 9.3 Billion Upgrade of Gogo Dam to Boost Reliable Power in Migori County

By Chemtai Kirui | NAIROBI

 

The government has secured a KSh8.7 billion (€63 million) financing package from the European Union and Germany to overhaul the aging Gogo Hydropower Plant in Migori County, a project expected to improve electricity supply across the western region.

 

The agreements were signed in Nairobi by Energy Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir, alongside Kristina Laarmann, Director of KfW Nairobi; German Ambassador Sebastian Groth; EU Ambassador Henriette Geiger; and Maren Kneller, Head of German Cooperation.

 

Germany, through KfW, will provide about KSh5.1 billion (€35 million), while the EU has pledged KSh2.6 billion (€18 million). The government will top up the balance.

 

Funding will support both the redevelopment of Gogo and the Green Resilient Electricity System Project (GRESP).

 

The Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, through KenGen, will implement the upgrade, which is set to raise Gogo’s capacity from 2 MW to 8.6 MW.

 

Officials said the project will reduce grid losses, ease load shedding, strengthen energy security, and support industrial growth in Nyanza.

 

First commissioned in 1958, the plant has long suffered from inefficiencies and breakdowns, often plunging Migori and neighbouring counties into blackouts.

 

EU Ambassador Geiger said the project would not only stabilise power supply but also boost local economies and create jobs.

 

German Ambassador Groth described it as a reinforcement of Kenya’s renewable energy leadership and a step toward inclusive growth in underserved regions.

 

Although the country already generates more than 80 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, the government has set a target of achieving 100 percent clean power by 2035.

 

Upgrading Gogo, though small compared to Olkaria geothermal or the Lake Turkana wind farm, is seen as critical for regional equity after decades of unstable supply that has slowed economic and social development in western Kenya.

 

The investment forms part of the EU’s Global Gateway initiative, which supports sustainable infrastructure across Africa.

 

Construction on the Gogo Dam upgrade is expected to begin next year.