BY LORETTA B MANELE

We need to quickly and robustly come up with an energy policy, an energy legislation that can cater for sectors like health and education says Chris Vehe, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification (MMERE).

He pointed this out as one of the panel members at UNDP and MMERE’s Panel Discussion on “Pathways towards better electric power availability, affordability, and sustainability” on Friday, November 14, 2025 at Heritage Park Hotel.

Vehe stressed that we really need to have a proper guiding framework that will enable us to negotiate on tariffs for schools and health facilities.

“We really need to have a proper guiding framework that will enable us to even negotiate, you know, with our utilities that schools should have different tariffs.

“Health utilities should have different tariffs,” he said.

Vehe added that these are the kind of discussions, that unless you start discussing it with health, you start knowing the expenses and what not.

Speaking of energy, the Permanent Secretary also said that he realised that unless energy that comes from solar panels can be properly managed, it won’t affect the distribution network.

He mentioned that they are having net metering discussions in the energy sector as well as on grid codes.

Vehe said we need properly gazetted grid codes that can take care of various incoming connections to the grid.

“Unless of course we have others, who can also run their own grid, they can accept whatever that comes, but based on their standard grid codes,” he added.

Vehe furthered that while we appreciate education, health as very essential services, we also need to at least understand the technicalities around it.

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