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Local electricity generation static as demand on steady rise
The local generation crisis has been worsened by a freeze which has left Kenya Power relying on existing plants and deepened reliance on Ethiopia and Uganda to ensure steady supply.
Local power generation remained static for three years as demand for electricity rose, forcing Kenya Power to increase imports in a bid to avert widespread power rationing.
Official data shows that power generated from local plants has remained little changed at 12.57 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) over the past three years.
Consumption meanwhile rose to 10.75 billion kWh last year from 10.32 billion kWh in 2023 and an average growth of 4 percent in the past three years.
This has forced Kenya Power to lean on Ethiopia and Uganda, to reduce the deficit with imports rising to 1.53 billion kWh from 337.5 million kWh in the same period. There has also been power rationing.
Increased consumption signals the budding economic activities and a growth in the number of customers linked to Kenya Power, as the utility firm comes under increased pressure to ensure a reliable supply.
President William Ruto early this month laid bare the country’s precarious state of electricity supply, as he sought to have Parliament lift a freeze on new Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) imposed in 2018.
“In Kenya, between 5pm and 10pm we have been forced to do load shedding. We have to shut off power in some areas to be able to power others because our energy is not enough,” Dr Ruto said early this month.
Kenya Power is facing pressure to ensure that it provides enough electricity to support the country’s increasing economic activities, amid the rise in connections. The number of Kenya Power customers has crossed the 10-million mark from 8.89 million in the same period.
Consumption from large commercial and industrial, small commercial, domestic, street lighting and electric mobility hit all-time highs in the year ended June 2025, a clear indicator of Kenya’s expanding economic activity.
The local generation crisis has been worsened by a freeze which has left Kenya Power relying on existing plants and deepened reliance on Ethiopia and Uganda to ensure steady supply.
The freeze, imposed in 2018 and later extended by Parliament in 2023 pushed the Ministry of Energy and Kenya Power to warn of a looming crisis unless the ban was lifted.
MPs rescinded the ban last week paving the way for Kenya Power to onboard new power plants.
→ jmutua@ke.nationmedia.com
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