Electricity generation in Kenya 2023, by type

As of September 2023, geothermal and hydro energy were Kenya’s main sources of electricity production. The country harvested 512 million and 247 million kilowatt hours from each source that month, respectively. Wind registered 141 million kilowatt hours, whereas solar accounted for 39 million kilowatt hours of the total electricity generation. Overall, the electricity generation in Kenya totaled nearly 13,000 gigawatt hours in 2022. The production of electric power has been following an upward trend. In 2017, Kenya harvested some 10,130 gigawatt hours of electricity.

High share in renewable energy

Energy that produces no greenhouse gas emissions is one of the benefits of renewable energy. Furthermore, the Kenyan government has set a goal to reach 100 percent power generated from renewable sources by 2030. Nearly 90 percent of the electricity generation had derived from renewable sources in 2022. Most of the renewable electricity generated came from geothermal and hydropower. Both sources counted 8.5 terawatt hours in 2020, whereas solar and wind registered 0.1 and 1.2 terawatt hours, respectively.

Electricity access increases rapidly

  The total share of the population with access to electricity increased extensively between 2011 and 2020. In 2011, only 36 percent of the population had electricity, whereas, by 2020, this increased to over 71 percent. In 2018, the government launched a strategy (KNES) to achieve universal access for all Kenyans in the short term.