UBA Finances $10m Loan For Kenyan Power

Kenya Power Company has acquired a $10 million loan facility from the Kenya arm of the United Bank of Africa (UBA) to upgrade its infrastructure to distribute 5,000 megawatts by 2017.

A statement from the bank said the loan from UBA Kenya will boost the capacity of transmission lines.

According to the company, this is part of a syndicated loan from a number of lenders to finance the planned infrastructure expansion by the firm, the country’s sole power distributor.

The financing will be used to boost the capacity of transmission lines, upgrading existing substations and constructing 37 new ones while also installing new equipment in the power grid.

“Completion of these capital investments on time is critical for long-term viability of our company. It will also make Kenya attractive as an investment destination,” Kenya Power managing director, Ben Chumo, said.

In the recent past, industrialists have complained of power outages occasioned by aging infrastructure, leading to increased cost of production as companies have been forced to install stand-by generators. This has made locally produced goods less competitive in the regional markets.

UBA, whose parent bank is in Nigeria, entered the Kenyan market five years ago and has now ventured into financing the local power sector.

“We remain committed to a continued relationship with Kenya Power and other key players in the public sector to take on similar or larger projects, especially in energy and the infrastructure sector,” noted the chief executive of UBA Kenya, Isaac Mwige.

The bank has operations in 19 African countries and has international offices in New York, Paris and London.

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