Rural Electrification in Kenya with Community Cooperatives Engagement: People's Development Drive Struggling to Cut the Leash
Author
Abdallah, Said M.
Term
10. term
Education
Publication year
2007
Pages
186
Abstract
Mange mennesker i lavindkomstlande bor i landdistrikter og lever af selvforsyningslandbrug. Nogle flytter til byerne for at få et bedre liv, men de fleste bliver på landet. En vigtig årsag til de dårlige levevilkår er meget begrænset adgang til elektricitet. I industrialiserede lande og rigere udviklingslande er næsten alle husstande på landet tilsluttet elnettet, mens adgangen i mange fattigere lande ofte er under 10%. Trods indsatser og investeringer går udviklingen langsomt. Specialet argumenterer for, at institutionelle og organisatoriske barrierer er en hovedårsag. Derfor fremhæves decentralisering og nedefra-og-op-tilgange—hvor beslutninger og drift forankres lokalt—som lovende veje frem. Et eksempel er elektricitetskooperativer, som er medlems-ejede forsyninger, der kan udnytte lokale energikilder. Erfaringer fra USA, Bangladesh og Costa Rica viser, at kooperativer kan udvide elektrificeringen markant i landdistrikter. Case-studiet af Kenya viser, at kooperativer foreløbig ikke egner sig til elektrificering dér. Landdistrikterne rummer høj social kapital (netværk, tillid og normer), men problemer som eliteovertagelse—når magtfulde aktører tiltager sig kontrol over ressourcer tiltænkt fællesskabet—og svag lokal kontrol med kooperativerne hæmmer deres effekt. Tidligere indsatser er også blevet begrænset af uhensigtsmæssige institutionelle politikker og politisk indblanding. Den kenyanske regering anerkender udfordringerne og gennemfører reformer i kooperativsektoren og energisektoren. Hvis de realiseres, kan de bane vej for rurale elektricitetskooperativer i fremtiden. I mellemtiden kan lokale selvhjælpsgrupper, som har stærke sociale bånd men lavere økonomisk effektivitet, understøtte elektrificering; med forbedringer kan de fungere som et praktisk alternativ til kooperativer.
In many low-income countries, large rural populations rely on subsistence farming. Some move to cities in search of better lives, but most remain in the countryside. A key reason living conditions stay poor is very limited access to electricity. In industrialized and richer developing countries, rural households are almost universally connected, while in many poorer countries rural access is often below 10%. Despite programs and investments, progress has been slow. This thesis argues that institutional and organizational barriers are a major cause of low access. It highlights decentralization and bottom-up approaches—where decisions and management are led locally—as promising ways forward. One example is rural electric cooperatives, which are member-owned utilities that can use local energy resources. Experience from the United States, Bangladesh, and Costa Rica shows that cooperatives can significantly expand rural electrification. The case study of Kenya finds that, for now, cooperatives are not well suited to electrification there. Rural communities have strong social capital (networks, trust, and norms), but problems such as elite capture—when powerful actors take control of resources meant for the community—and weak community control over cooperatives limit their effectiveness. Past rural electrification efforts have also been constrained by poor institutional policies and political interference. The Kenyan government recognizes these challenges and is undertaking reforms in the cooperative and energy sectors. If implemented, these changes could enable rural electric cooperatives in the future. In the meantime, community self-help groups, which are socially strong but economically less efficient, could support electrification; with improvements, they may serve as a practical substitute for cooperatives.
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