Kenya

With commercial-scale resource discoveries in Kenya in recent years – of both oil and solid minerals – the country’s energy and mining sectors are expanding. Kenya is now poised to join the ranks of commodity exporters, which is a significant reversal from the country’s historic dependency on imports. Authorities are currently overhauling...

Off-grid power has long been a fast and easy solution to the energy access challenge across Africa, largely in the form of diesel-powered generators, open fires or burning kerosene.

The energy sector’s legal environment in Kenya is in flux, with the state in the process of adjusting its laws and approach now that commercial oil production is nearing reality. Several bills are at various stages in the parliamentary process, and politicians and sector leaders are debating other policy points to be implemented in the coming...

Power is one of the biggest hurdles to stronger growth in sub-Saharan Africa, with households and industrial firms struggling to ensure a reliable supply of electricity. A number of solutions are being rolled out, from off-grid networks to new transmission infrastructure, but one of the most necessary is new generation capacity.

Kenya’s power grid is in the midst of an international upgrade, featuring increased connection capacity with neighbouring Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia. The country’s potential as a power generator is significant, with supply already outstripping demand and geothermal sources in particular seen as an inexpensive, reliable option. Kenya’s...

Tariffs are a core aspect of debate in the Kenyan power sector, with a focus on ensuring that they fall to levels low enough to stoke consumption but that they remain sufficiently high to attract investment. Finding the right balance can be tricky.