The World Bank recently released the 2024 Energy Progress Report, which summarises global milestones based on an assessment of key parameters such as energy access, efficiency, renewables and clean cooking.
Kenya has had an ambitious electrification programme over the past decade, which has seen electricity access grow exponentially—from approximately 32 percent in 2014, to over 90 percent in urban areas and 65 percent in rural areas currently. While this is still slightly below the global average of 91 percent, the progress is commendable.
In addition, approximately 90 percent of the country’s energy is generated from renewable sources. Studies have however revealed that there is need for battery energy storage systems to help address grid instability arising from intermittent power.
While this has already been incorporated in policy documents, gaps in the legal and regulatory framework will need to be addressed, for instance, with respect to procurement, licensing and applicable tariffs.
A lot more needs to be done to address the challenges of the aging transmission and distribution networks, which lead to issues such as loss of generated power. Plans are underway through the Transmission Masterplan 2023-2042, to strengthen the transmission networks.
With respect to access to clean cooking, the World Bank Report reveals that in 2022, approximately three-quarters of the world’s population had access to clean cooking fuels and technologies (such as electric stoves, liquefied petroleum gas, natural gas, biogas, or ethanol). Some 30 percent of Kenya’s population in rural areas and 54 percent in urban areas has access to clean cooking.
Clean cooking is part of the government’s development agenda. The National Cooking Transition Strategy (2024-2028) identifies the barriers to access to clean cooking and puts in place strategies to mitigate them.
The barriers include supply gap, affordability and availability. Proposed measures include promoting local manufacturing and assembly and leveraging innovative financing models such as carbon finance and green bonds.
On energy efficiency and conservation, Kenya has put in place a framework that has helped to improve energy efficiency and conservation. However, it does not cover all the core pillars outlined in the country’s economic transformation agenda, such as agriculture. The government should therefore consider putting in place strategies for energy efficiency in these core sectors.
In terms of affordability, electricity remains expensive. High energy costs are a barrier to economic growth, and measures should be put in place to mitigate the rising costs.
Such measures could include upgrading and expanding the transmission and distribution infrastructure and increasing competition in the energy market.
