How Clean Energy Is Changing Lives beyond the National Grid

By Alex Wachira

‘Investments in clean energy generate multiplier effects across the economy by strengthening healthcare, education, water access and enterprise’

 

Kenya’s arid and semi-arid counties present a striking paradox as they possess the richest solar and wind resources yet remain among the least served by modern energy infrastructure. This has constrained economic activity, increased household energy costs, undermined health, and contributed to environmental degradation.

Interestingly, for Kenyans living in areas covered by the national grid, electricity is something we notice only when it goes off. But millions of Kenyans living in remote parts of our country lack access to reliable electricity for decades where they rely on kerosene lamps, firewood, charcoal, and diesel generators to meet basic energy needs.

To reverse this imbalance, the Government of Kenya, working with the World Bank, Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) and the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC), is implementing the Kenya Off-Grid Solar Access Project (KOSAP). The flagship initiative is bringing modern energy solutions to communities in 14 underserved regions in Garissa, Isiolo, Kilifi, Kwale, Lamu, Mandera, Marsabit, Narok, Samburu, Taita Taveta, Tana River, Turkana, Wajir and West Pokot counties, where extending the national grid is technically difficult and economically prohibitive.

As I reaffirmed during the commissioning of the Kipsing Mini Grid in Isiolo County in May this year, KOSAP is far more than an energy project. It is a strategic investment in people that expands access to reliable and affordable electricity in homes, schools, hospitals and public institutions.

The real measure of KOSAP’s success lies not in the kilometres of distribution lines constructed or the number of solar systems installed but in the lives being transformed. In Lodwar, Turkana County, Frida Muthengi says switching to a modern Jiko Digi cookstove has transformed her family’s daily routine.

As she puts it, “The old jiko consumed too much charcoal and was slower than this modern one. Food now cooks just as quickly as it would on a gas stove.” Her experience reflects a broader transformation taking place across KOSAP beneficiary communities, where modern clean cooking technologies, championed by KOSAP, are helping families reduce fuel costs, cook more efficiently and enjoy healthier homes with cleaner indoor air.

Similar stories are emerging as more households adopt energy saving cooking technologies and  solar home systems that provide reliable electricity. This enables children to study after dark, powers small businesses and reduces dependence on costly kerosene. Off-grid energy solutions are opening doors that were previously closed for communities that have been beyond the reach of the national grid.

The benefits extend well beyond individual households. Reliable electricity enables rural health facilities to refrigerate vaccines, power diagnostic equipment, and improve maternal healthcare. It allows schools to embrace digital learning and create better learning environments.

Solar-powered boreholes are poised to provide reliable access to clean water while reducing the burden placed on women and girls who often spend hours each day searching for water. Small businesses are extending their operating hours, farmers are creating value closer to home, and local markets are becoming more vibrant as access to reliable electricity improves. This is the true definition of inclusive development where no one is left behind.

KOSAP is on course to provide reliable electricity to over 400,000 households, benefiting nearly two million people, through the construction of 114 solar-powered mini-grids and the deployment of standalone solar home systems. So far, 377,000 households are enjoying electricity connected from standalone solar systems.  The project will also electrify 343 public institutions, including schools, health facilities and administrative offices, retrofit 316 community boreholes with solar-powered pumping systems, and facilitate access to 37,000 clean cooking solutions.

This is why Kenya’s energy transition should ultimately not be viewed solely through the lens of megawatts generated or infrastructure delivered. Its true success will be measured by the opportunities it creates for people, the lives improved, and the communities empowered.

That understanding is at the heart of Kenya’s commitment to achieve universal access to electricity and clean cooking under the Kenya Vision 2030, the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), the Kenya National Energy Compact (2025–2030), and the Kenya National Clean Cooking Transition Strategy (2024–2028). These frameworks recognise that no country can achieve inclusive growth while sections of its population remain without access to modern energy.

 

That is the Kenya we are building – one community, one household and one life at a time.

 

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