By Yoga David.
Chief of Staff Aloice Ager handing over solar lamps to one of the residents of Shauri Moyo/ Photos by Calvin Randy
When the sun sets over Shauri Moyo and Shauri Yako estates in Muhoroni sub-county, the darkness has always meant more than just the absence of light.
For years, families here relied on poorly designed lamps or resigned themselves to nights without illumination. Children struggled to study, parents worried about safety and the cycle of disadvantage continued.
On Tuesday, that story began to change. Through a partnership between Kisumu County, BLUETTI and UN- Habitat, 300 households in Muhoroni received solar power systems under the Lighting an African Family Program.
The donation included panels, batteries and bulbs that bring clean, reliable and affordable energy to more than 2000 residents.
For Kisumu County, this initiative builds on years of collaboration with UN- Habitat under the Kenya Informal Settlements Improvement Programme (KISIP).
Aloice Ager, Chief of Staff Office of the Governor and Director for Partnerships and Resource Mobilisation, explained that the County Government of Kisumu partnered with UN-Habitat after the exercise of KISIP to improve the housing situation in Muhoroni.
“This is part of a UN-Habitat project called PINUA, we are implementing it in Shauri Moyo and Shauri Yako and also Kisumu City.,” Ager said.
“This is a pilot for social housing that UN-Habitat is trying to implement and see succeeds, after the success of this pilot, it will be cascaded across the county” he added
According to Ager, “UN-Habitat has partnered with BLUEETI, this is a global company manufacturing solar products, as part of their corporate social responsibility, they have brought these solar lamps to distribute to the deprived communities of Shauri Moyo and Shauri Yako”
Each solar unit, he added, comes with a panel, four lamps and a power bank, valued at about Ksh 13,000. The 300 units distributed are worth Ksh 4.5 million, a significant investment in community welfare.
UN-Habitat National Programme Officer, Jeremiah Ougo, highlighted how the partnership extends beyond lighting.
“Through the PINUA project, we are planning the entire Muhoroni township, we will improve housing, provide an Early Childhood Development (ECD) centre, a recreational park and a community social hall” he said.
He added “Planning is underway and will run for 8-10 months, with housing and infrastructure projects being implemented in parallel we are identifying the households that will benefit from the housing activity”
For residents, the impact was immediate. Ismael Bakari Billal, one of the beneficiaries, said.
“As a family we have been struggling for a long time but from today even if it rains and electricity goes, the solar lights will help us. My children will read at night without difficulty, God bless the county, BLUETTI and UN-Habitat”
Another resident, Eunice Awino, a 38 year-old mother of five, expressed relief.
“I’m pleased to get these solar lights. They will help my children read at night and improve their education. I thank the county, BLUETTI and UN-Habitat, may God continue blessing them” she said.
Beyond reducing household costs and improving education for the residents of Shauri Yako and Shauri Moyo, the programme is expected to cut over 337 tonnes of carbon emissions in the next five years.
