Impact study: Socio-economic impact of Lake Turkana Wind Power in Marsabit

Project: Lake Turkana Wind Power project
Country: Kenya
Sector: Renewable energy

Creating and supporting decent jobs is Finnfund’s key objective. A study by Niras Kenya on Socio-Economic Impact of Lake Turkana Wind Power in Marsabit highlights the transformative nature of jobs in one of the poorest counties in Kenya. The study found that with a job at the company, employees’ incomes more than doubled to nearly EUR 900 a month. Salaries and employees‘ savings cooperative have had a tremendous impact on people’s wellbeing. Before employment, over 70% of employees’ households received relief aid. After employment, this dropped to 6%. Their houses now have concrete floors and roofs of iron sheets and 70% have solar panels.

Over half of employees cook their food with gas instead of firewood as was the norm before. And their diet has changed from traditional milk and meat to also include vegetables, fruits, bread and rice. Much of the income is spent on children’s education, notably also daughters’ education. In addition to provision of jobs, the company has improved infrastructure in the area and supported provision of basic services such as water, health and education. The company refurbished over 200 kilometres of road that has enabled and increased transportation of goods and allowed people to move at affordable cost. Businesses have begun to flourish. Boreholes have reduced water borne diseases by 30%, child mortality has gone down due to better availability and quality of health services and education outcomes have improved with better furnished schools.

More information:

Juho Uusihakala
Senior Development Impact Adviser, Finnfund
juho.uusihakala (a) finnfund.fi

tel. +358 50 549 3198

How?

NIRAS Africa Limited (NIRAS) was contracted by the Finnish Fund for Industrial Cooperation Limited (Finnfund) to undertake a socio-economic impact study of the Lake Turkana Wind Power (LTWP) Project. The project is located in Laisamis constituency, Marsabit County in North-Eastern Kenya. The objective of the study was to assess how the LTWP project has impacted the lives and well-being of the population in Marsabit and determine whether the project has contributed to poverty reduction in Marsabit. Specifically, the study sought to generate evidence on how the LTWP project has impacted the employees as well as benefits generated by communities living in Laisamis constituency from Winds of Change (WoC) initiatives.

The study was conducted over a period of four months between December 2019 and March 2020 with field data collection between 29th January through 6th February 2020.

Impact study:

Socio-economic impact of Lake Turkana Wind Power in Marsabit (pdf)