Imports recorded the fastest growth of all sources of electricity supplied to Kenya Power in the year ended June 2025, underscoring the pivotal role of Ethiopia and Uganda in averting blackouts in Kenya.
An analysis of data from the utility firm shows that imports grew by 27.9 percent to 1,534 Gigawatt-hours (GWh) in the review period from 1,199GWh a year earlier, while supply from the dirty thermal plants rose 18.2 percent to 1,335GWh from 1,129GWh.
Kenya has in recent years deepened reliance on Ethiopia and Uganda to shore up supplies and avoid widespread power rationing amid near stagnant generation from geothermal and hydro sources.
But Kenya Power warned of the big risk of relying on imports, saying that Kenya is significantly exposed in the event of prolonged droughts or major breakdown of the hydropower plants in Ethiopia and Uganda.
“It (importation of power) is a major concern and this is not premised on the thinking that they will be unable to supply us. Rather, my concern is that this is hydropower from these countries and in the event that there is a serious drought it may put them in a position where they are unable to meet this obligation,” Joseph Siror, the Managing Director of Kenya told this publication recently.
Supply from geothermal sources grew by 0.19 percent to 5,718GWh in the review period from 5,707GWh a year earlier while hydro grew 3.1 percent to 3,504GWh from 3,396GWh.
Hydropower and geothermal are the mainstay of the national grid but their near stagnant growth in contribution has forced Kenya Power to overly turn to imports.
Wind power plants contributed 1,908GWh in the period under review which was a rise of seven percent from 1,780GWh a year earlier while supply from solar remained unchanged at 473GWh.
Kenya Power signed a 25-year electricity import deal with Ethiopia in 2022. Ethiopia Electricity Power Company (EEP) supplied the Nairobi Securities Exchange-listed firm with the most foreign electricity at 1,268 GWh in the review period.
Kenya Power also has power exchange deals with Uganda and Tanzania, with the net importer paying the other.
Kenya has been grappling with a surge in demand especially at peak hours, which has in turn triggered power rationing in some parts, mostly Western Kenya.
President William Ruto recently said that the utility rationed some of the parts of the country from as early as 1700hours. Traditionally, peak demand in Kenya happens between 1900-2100hrs and this is the time when rationing has been used in recent years.
Increased supply from Ethiopia and Uganda has been critical in averting both widespread power rationing and a spike in power prices.
This is because imports are the second cheapest source with a kilowatt-hour of power from Ethiopia priced at an average of Sh8.39 behind local hydropower at Sh3.83 per unit.
Thermal power plants supply the most expensive power and increased contribution directly leads to costly electricity largely due to the fuel cost charge.
“Thermal utilisation remained within target, with the supply mix anchored by geothermal and complemented by hydro, wind, imports and solar,” Kenya Power says in its latest annual report.
