Country Report
Kenya’s Energy
status
By
Francis Njoka
(PPRE 2008/10)
Table of Contents
1.0. Introduction 3
1.1. The Country 3
1.1.1. -Location 3
1.1.2. -Administration and Governance 4
1.1.3. -History 4
1.1.4. -Climate 5
1.2. The people 5
1.2.1. -Demography 5
1.2.2. -Communication and religion 5
1.3. Economy 6
2.0. Ministry of Energy 7
3.0. Energy sources 8
3.1. Biomass 8
3.2. Petroleum 11
3.3. Electricity 13
3.4. Others 17
4.0. Consumption by sector & trends 18
5.0. Barriers to RE – Policy 19
6.0. Conclusion 20
7.0. References 20
2
1.0. Introduction
1.1. The Country
1.1.1. Location
Kenya is a country located in the eastern part of Africa covering an area of about
582,650 sq kilometers. It lies between latitudes 34o
E (near Lokichogio) and
41o
54’E (near Mandera) and longitudes 4o
35’N (near Lokichogio) and 4o
42’S (at the
Kenya –Tanzania coast) and on the other hand, its altitude rises from zero meters
at the coast to 5,199 meters at the peak of Mt. Kenya. It also lies under one time
zone which is three hours ahead (+3) of GMT. Kenya is neighbored by Tanzania to
the South West, Uganda in the West, Sudan in the North West, Ethiopia in the
North, Somalia in the East and Indian Ocean at the South East.
3
1.1.2. Administration and Governance
With her capital city being Nairobi, Kenya still has two more cities, Mombasa and
Kisumu with the former being a port city and the latter, a lake city. Nakuru is one
other major commercial town which might acquire city status in the near future.
However, the country is administratively divided into eight (8) regions (provinces)
which are further subdivided into Districts, then Divisions, locations and finally,
sub-locations. A sub-location is basically an administrative unit comprising two to
three villages. Ideally, resource distribution need mimic the same structure but this
leaves a lot to be desired practically.
Kenya is both a central government and presidential system republic. This is
currently a very volatile issue which is yet to be addressed by the supposedly new
constitution. The multiparty democracy was adopted in the year 1992 due to
pressures from the international community. The president and the members of
parliament representing regions equivalent to ‘Divisions’ (Constituencies), are
elected by the people after every five (5) years.
1.1.3. History
The history of Kenya features and is responsible for what Kenya is as a country
today. The 40 distinct tribes are said to have stemmed from three (3) main
linguistic families, the Cushites said to have entered Kenya from South Ethiopian
highlands in the year 2000BC; The Nilotes from the West and the Bantus from the
South between 500BC to A.D. 500. In about A.D. 100, the Arabs are said to have
traded with Bantus along the coast and their intermarriage led to the language,
Swahili.
The Portuguese in 1498, in the name of trade, took charge of the coastline until
1600 when the Arabs reclaimed control. In Mid 19th century, the British influence
superseded Arabs’ and as opposed to the former traders, the British were more
interested in venturing into the interior. This led to more explorers coming in and
settling in the more fertile lands in the heart of the country. The Berlin conference
of 1885 saw the Europeans partition East Africa into small spheres of influence
which today form the individual Sovereign states. In the year 1920, Kenya was
declared a British colony and white settlers took over vast fertile lands whereas
the local people were restricted from cash crop farming and instead subjected to
forced labour. The development of the Railway network and the main towns is
linked to the productivity of the targeted regions during that period.
Between the years 1952-1956, the African Protests peaked under the umbrella of
‘Mau Mau’ Emergency, a Kikuyu-led uprising. Kenya was put under state of
emergency until 1959 and most of leaders were imprisoned, families shattered and
innocent people killed. In 1963 Kenya gained her independence led by the late
‘Mzee Jomo Kenyatta’ who became Kenya’s first President. Mzee Jomo Kenyatta
was president until 1978 when he passed on and a new president, Daniel Arap Moi
was ushered in to rule Kenya as second president. President Moi’s reign came to
an end in the year 2002 when his supposedly predecessor lost to the opposition
4
leader and Kenya’s third president, president Mwai Kibaki who is currently serving
his second term in office.
All along, the unresolved pre-historic issues concerning land, tribal indifferences,
resource distribution seem to have dominated the political arena to-date.
Differences in political ideologies among emergent political powerhouses barely
focus on real development issues but are rather driven by events of the prehistoric
Kenya. Of course this does not leave energy related issues unaffected.
Some energy investments are biased towards regional im-/balances than resource
potential itself.
1.1.4. Climate
Kenya’s climate can generally be categorised into four regional climates;
• Lake Victoria basin
• Rift Valley and Highlands
• North, North-East and Eastern Highlands (Nyika plateau)
• Kenya's coast
However in general, the climate varies from tropical along the lake and the coast
to arid in the interior. Less than 15 percent of the country receives reliable rainfall
of 760 millimetres or more per year. Most of the country experiences two wet and
two dry seasons. The driest month is August, with 24 millimetres average rainfall,
and the wettest is April (long rains period) with 266 millimetres. The hottest month
is February (Library of congress - 2007).
1.2. The people
1.2.1. Demography, education and Health
As of the year 2008, Kenya’s population was estimated at 37.9 million (Global Edge
-2008). Her population growth rate is also estimated at 2.7% with life expectancy
standing at 47-55 years. Kenya’s education system on the other hand is of the
American model, eight (8) years primary school, four (4) years secondary school
and four (4) years of University education. She also records a literacy level of 75-
85 %. So far, Malaria, TB & HIV/AIDS are Kenya’s main health challenges as a
country.
1.2.2. Communication and religion
Swahili is the National language in Kenya while English is the official language of
business. However, Kenya also boasts of her strong language and cultural diversity
embodied in the over 40 native languages. Majority of Kenyans are believers of
some faith. About 75% are Christians, 20% Muslim and 5% are Buddhists, Sikhs or
believers of some Traditional teachings.
5
1.3. Economy
The Kenya shilling (KShs.) is the currency and unit of exchange: - (1€ = KShs.104,
1US$ = KShs.78). However still, at very low levels of business informal butter
trade still exists. The economy is reliant mainly on Agriculture which supports
about 45% of rural population. However, only 7-8% of Kenya’s land is arable.
Tourism is the second largest supporter of her economy. The rich wildlife, the
natural physiography, the warm coast and the relatively favourable temperature
ranges all year round are the main drivers of tourism. The main exports are tea
(28.4%), horticultural products (16.3%), petroleum products (10.2%) and coffee
(6.1%) – (International Marketing Research Reports - IMRR 2003). Other products
of export include but not limited to; sisal, soda ash, leather, pyrethrum extract,
iron and steel, hides and skins, oils, insecticides, polishing and cleaning
preparations, cement, fish and fish products, meat and meat products, honey, dairy
products.
The main trading partners/blocks are East African Community (EAC) where Kenya
exports both raw and manufactured products; Common Markets for East and South
Africa (COMESA) - manufactured products; European Union (EU) & United
Kingdom (UK) taking in tea, coffee and cut-flowers; African Growth and
Opportunity (AGOA), a United States focussed trading block taking in a big chunk
of textiles and apparel and finally the new South African Development Community
(SADC). On the other hand, the main exporters to Kenya are United Kingdom,
United Arabs Emirates, Japan, India, China and South Africa, exporting mainly
machinery and electronic goods.
By 2006, Kenya’s gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated at US$17.39b ≈
€12.92b and a per capita GDP of US$1,200 ≈ €891 (Purchasing Power Parity - PPP
adjusted) was recorded.
6
2.0. Ministry of Energy
The ministry of Energy plays a very crucial role in shaping the future of a country
in matters relating to energy and development in general. It is in-charge of
planning and designing national energy systems that keep the country alive.
Addressing energy issues without a mention of the same is therefore inappropriate.
Kenya’s Energy Ministry is made up of three (3) divisions or departments playing
distinct roles. Some of the responsibilities are highlighted in the schematic diagram
below.
National energy planning
Electrical energy policy
Rural electrification
Solar PV projects development
Dev. of technical standards
Design of RE
Tariff study
Regional power study, etc
Created in 1998 (Biomass + Alternatives)
In-charge of Biofuels, solar, wind, mini/micro
hydro & energy conservation
RE policy formulation, analysis & review
Extension training & public awareness
Promotion of energy conservation
Woodfuel species production & management
RE quality control, etc
Geothermal exploration
/ drilling
Electrical Geo-exploration Renewables
Ministry of Energy
Adopted from the Min. Energy website
On a very close scrutiny of the Electrical and the Renewable energy departments,
one may not actually draw a very clear line between the two with reference to the
renewable energy sources.
On the other hand, the Ministry on the 1st of April 2008 introduced, though a press
release, feed-in-Tariffs for wind, biomass and small hydro power energy. This
was followed a month later by a feed-in-Tariff Guide for Investors. This is very
good news for Renewable energy irrespective of whether the rates are practically
viable or not. Most surprising though was the fact that solar energy was not
considered in the list. The rates and definitions are schematically shown below.
7
Renewable Energy
source
Capacity (MW) Firm power
(€/kWh)
Non-firm power
(€/kWh)
Biomass 0 - 40 0.045 0.029
Wind 0 - 50 0.058 0.058
Small Hydropower 0.5 - 0.99 0.077 0.064
1 - 5 0.064 0.052
5.1 - 10 0.052 0.039
(Big Hydro) For comparison - 0.0175€/kWh
Adopted from the April 1st
2008 press release
3.0. Energy sources
The energy supply in Kenya is mainly from three primary sources. Biomass forms
the largest share providing about 68% of the total energy demand. 22% is then
covered by petroleum, 9% by electricity and other sources provide about 1%.
68%
22%
9%
1%
Biomass
Petroleum
Electricity
Others
3.1. Biomass
According to the Renewable energy Department of the Ministry of Energy, the
biomass demand stood at 34.3 million tonnes in 2000 compared to an estimated
sustainable supply of 15 million, thereby indicating a deficit of over 56 per cent.
The deficit could currently be over 60 per cent. The demand was estimated to be
growing at 2.7 % per year while the sustainable supply was growing at a slower
rate of 0.6 % per year.
8
The principal drivers of biomass energy demand were cited as, population growth,
lack of access to biomass energy substitutes and the rising levels of poverty
among Kenyans. The supply and demand imbalance is said to exert considerable
pressure on the remaining forest cover and vegetation stocks, thereby accelerating
the processes of land degradation. In addition, the continued exploitation of
biomass-derived energy poses a threat to competing land use systems such as
agriculture, forestry and human settlements, among others.
On a positive note, the efforts from the Forestry Department, Ministry of Energy,
UNEP, GTZ, Green Belt Movement, local NGOs and other organizations in
promoting tree biotechnology research, tree planting, woodlots establishment and
energy-saving stoves can not be ignored.
A. Firewood
A larger majority of rural population depend on firewood for their overall
energy demand. Over 20,000 Institutions also depend on firewood for both
catering and water heating. In the year 2000, firewood consumption was
estimated at 3,394 kg (rural) and 2,701 kg (urban) per household per annum.
Per capita consumption was 741 and 691 kg respectively (RE Dept. Ministry of
Energy).
B. Charcoal
Charcoal forms an important fuel source for urban dwellers. It is also said to be
one of the main causes of increased deforestation as it is a source of income for
the many unemployed rural. Per capita consumption in 2000 was 156 kg (rural)
and 152 kg (urban). Worthy noting is that 83 % of both medium and high income
groups in urban set-up also use charcoal. Therefore, its demand can not be
underestimated.
C. Briquettes
The Kenya Planters Cooperative Union
(KPCU), for decades produced briquettes
‘Kahawa Coal’ from coffee husks. The
briquettes were however highly priced and
could not penetrate the market. Of late,
attempts to revive the plant could not
take-off due to lack of enough feedstock
as many other coffee millers have emerged
affecting the supply of coffee.
In 2003, a private Enterprise, Chardust Ltd
Kenya was started and in conjunction with
a sugar company, Chemelil is now
producing 5 tonnes of ‘Canecoal’ per day
from bagasse. Courtesy: Elsen Karstad-2003
9
D. Biogas
Biogas technology has been actively promoted in Kenya since early 1980s.
About 1,390 family biogas plants (Average 10m3
) have been installed in the
country. A considerable potential exists in small scale farmers’ dairy industry in
the agricultural productive regions. However, the adoption is greatly hampered
by the high capital costs and low level of awareness. Biogas has not yet been
tapped on a commercial scale although there is a potential from slaughter
houses and bio-wastes in many municipalities, the food industry and other large
scale dairy farms. This could now fit in well with the introduction of feed-intariffs
for renewables.
The continued promotion of biogas technology is basically being pioneered by
several organizations which include and not limited to;
Ministry of Energy through the energy centers allover the country.
Ministry of Agriculture, GTZ and Association of Biogas Constructors (ABCK)
through the PSDA programme are promoting fixed dome digesters.
Pioneer Technologies and Land ‘O’ Lakes are promoting low cost bag (tube)
digesters.
Local Universities, JKUAT and Egerton in particular, are focusing more on
research and technology dissemination.
The Government of Kenya and local NGOs through the Athi Water Services
Board in year 2008 funded about 20 Human excretes digesters in a number
of city slums.(DNA-6/3/2008)
Local entrepreneurs are also joining the band wagon and the new Chinese
model, the Puxin domes are getting entry into the market.
E. Co-generation
This is an emerging practice mostly in the sugar industry in Kenya. There are
seven (7) sugar companies producing an average of 1.8 million tonnes of
bagasse. One sugar company, Mumias has an installed capacity of 35 MW out of
which 26MW is sold to the national grid. New projects are in the pipeline and
are expected to boost the energy mix. There is a big potential for duplication in
other sugar, saw milling, paper and rice industries.
F. Biofuels
Kenya’s potential for Biofuels is in her vast arid and semi arid lands. Despite
the fact that the issue of biofuels is threatening the very scarce resource, land,
needed for food production, research is more focused on non-food feedstock.
However on the ground, the issue of biofuels is not yet well understood and
both local and foreign interested parties are sending mixed signals on plantation
establishments. The Government’s hand is expected to move a bit more swiftly
to cap probable conflicts in the near future. Commercial establishments for
Jatropha Corcus and Castor oil are currently peaking up. Other non-food plants
on Research are Cotton, Yellow Oleander and Croton Megalocarpus. Food based
feedstock include Sunflower and Cocoanuts.
10
Tractor running on Biodiesel Courtesy: Prof. J. M. Keriko-JKUAT
G. Ethanol
Kenya’s quest for alternative energy sources started way back in 1970s. In
1978, a power alcohol factory was established in Kisumu reason being that most
of the sugar companies were situated near the town and hence there was a
surplus of molasses. The Government could however not operate the plant for
several years. In the year 2003, the state owned firm was sold to Spectre
International Inc, a company co-owned by a multinational firm, Energem
Resources Inc (55%) and a local investor (40%). Currently, the company
produces potable alcohol and industrial methanol for beverage, medical and
industrial applications. The production potential is around 120,000 litres per day
but only 60,000 litres per day is presently produced.
The plant is however being positioned to supply fuel ethanol to Kenya, Uganda
and other neighbouring countries in the near future. The company is in the
course of exploring use of sweet sorghum as alternative feedstock.
From the above highlights, the statement; “Biomass is a sleeping giant” could not
only be right for other cases but also Kenya. The potential is enormous yet
sustainable and efficient technologies to exploit it are still lacking or not brought to
focus.
3.2. Petroleum
Petroleum, as highlighted earlier provides 22% of Kenya’s primary energy demand.
Kenya of the other hand does not have any oil reserves. Therefore, all the
11
petroleum needed in the country is imported. The supply currently stands at over
3.2 million tonnes (Crude + refined products).
The Kenya Petroleum Refinery Limited (KPRL) which is co-owned by Government
and local oil companies is in-charge of one and the only oil refinery in the country
located in Mombasa, the port city. The refined petroleum and other products are
distributed to the interior through a pipeline, by rail and tankers. The Kenya
Pipeline Company (KPC) which is wholly owned by the Government and under the
Ministry of Energy was commissioned in 1978 and is in-charge of the oil pipeline.
The petroleum industry is however dominated by both multinational and local oil
companies.
The pipeline, from Mombasa connects to Nairobi, Nakuru, Eldoret and Kisumu as
shown below.
Courtesy: KPC website
The pipeline transports five different grades of refined products which include;
Motor Spirit Premium (MSP), Motor Spirit Regular (MSR), Automobile Gas Oil
(AGO), Jet A-1 and Illuminating Kerosene (IK), on behalf of oil companies. Main
companies retailing in the country are; Shell, BP (Kenya) Ltd., Caltex Oil (Kenya),
Fuelex, Jovenna, Kenol/Kobil, Mobil, National Oil Corporation of Kenya (NOCK),
Total Kenya, Gapco, Engen, Mafuta Products and Petrol.
12
3.3. Electricity
Background
Whenever people mention the word energy, the first thing that crosses their minds
is electricity. This is probably because it is one of the most versatile forms of final
energy and hence the most user-friendly form of energy. In Kenya, electricity
contributes only 9% of the total energy demand yet it has undergone several
milestones in terms of infrastructure development and promotion. It may not be
possible to bring out the big picture under this framework but a short background
highlighting the sector development is as below;
• 1954 – Kenya Power Company (KPC) was born and was under the
management of Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) to which it sold
power in bulk.
• Virtually all Power investments, even to-date are funded by Multilateral and
Bilateral agencies.
• In 1990s, changing donor trends and corruption almost crippled the sector.
• In 1996, the sector was liberalised and this saw the joining of the sector by
Independent Power Producers (IPPs).
• The State utility in 1997 was unbundled into Kenya Power Company (KPC)
to be in-charge of generation and Kenya Power & Lighting Company (KPLC)
which was to take over transmission and distribution.
• KPC wholly remained in the hands of the Government (100%) while KPLC
was 51% owned by the state.
• In the same year, 1997, Electric Power Act (Electricity Bill ‘97) led to the
birth of Electricity Regulatory Board (ERB) mandated to look into electricity
generation issues in terms of negotiating power tariffs and protecting
shareholders.
• Still in 1997 the first IPP received a ‘Build Own Operate (BOO)’ contract for
7 years.
• In 1998, Kenya Power Company was renamed, Kenya Electricity Generating
Company (KENGEN).
• In 2002/3, there was a public outcry over increased power prices citing
corruption through the shoddy deals between the electricity distributing
company and the IPPs.
• Key IPP players to have signed contracts to-date are, Westmont*,
IberAfrica, OrPower 4, Tsavo and Mumias.
• In 2006, the Government relinquished 30% of its shares in KENGEN to the
public through initial public offer in the stock market.
• In 2007, a new Energy Act-2006 was enacted and the Electricity Regulatory
Board (ERB) was renamed Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC)
• In 2008, the Ministry of Energy introduces Feed-in-Tariffs for Renewable
Energies.
13
Supply structure
Consumers
KPLC – Transmission and distribution
Imports
UETCL
IPPs
Tsavo, IberAfrica,
OrPower, *Westmont,
Mumias
KENGEN
Retailing price
Customers
Below 1500
kWh
Fixed
(€)
0 – 50 units
(€/kWh)
51 – 1500
units
(€/kWh)
Above 1500
units
(€/kWh)
Fuel costs (€)
Domestic 1.19 0.012 0.08 0.18 ?
Small
Commerce
1.19 0.089 ?
Industrial 7.94 +
5.95*
0.057 ?
? – f (fuel costs, units produced/purchased ….by producers)
* - Demand charge per kVA
The rates vary depending on the category of the customers. The table above is
just an illustration of how the pricing is structured. The factor on the last column,
fuel cost, is dependent on the type of fuel used to generate power. Therefore,
when fuel costs go up, the customer has to bear the costs. This implies that the
supplied power is heavily dependent on fuel type and this to some extent either
engenders/endangers the investments options.
With the introduction of Feed-in tariffs for renewables, it is not clear whether the
attractive rates will still be pushed over to the clients, otherwise this will impact
negatively and the Government must be ready to somehow subsidized for this.
14
Electricity generation by source
Electricity in Kenya is mainly generated from Hydro, Geothermal and Thermal
power plants. Installed electricity capacity in Kenya stands at over 1,300 MW
(Approximated). Peak demand stands at 987MW against effective supply of
1,172MW (KPLC Report 2007/08). The national access rate is about 15%, with the
rural access being only 4% and 51% in the urban areas. Per capita consumption
was estimated at 125 kWh by the year 2007 (Ministry of Information and Communication -
2007)
Hydropower plants
All hydropower plants in Kenya are run by KENGEN. Currently, the installed
capacity stands at 737.28 MW. Kenya also imports about 20MW of electricity
from Uganda. The table below shows the established hydropower plants and
their installed capacities.
SN Station Installed capacity
(MW)
1 Gogo 2
2 Gitaru 225
3 Kamburu 94.2
4 Kindaruma 40
5 Kiambere 144
6 Masinga 40
7 Mesco 0.38
8 Ndula 2
9 Sagana 1.5
10 Tana 14.4
11 Turkwel 106
12 Wanjii 7.4
13 Sosiani 0.4
14 Sondu Miriu 60
Total 737.28
Geothermal power plants
Geothermal resources are mainly located in the Rift Valley approximately in a field
of about 70 km2
. Exploration first started in 1956, but interests increased in the
1970’s but initial production started in 1981. Estimated potential of geothermal
energy in Kenya is more than 2,000 Megawatt equivalents. Currently there are two
geothermal power stations, Olkaria I (45MW), Olkaria II (70 MW) both operated by
KENGEN and an IPP (OrPower 4 Inc) produces 12MW at Olkaria III. The two,
KENGEN and the IPP produce a total of 127 MW of geothermal energy.
15
Thermal power plants
KENGEN also runs several thermal power plants which include Kipevu I (60 MW
gas turbine), Kipevu II (75 MW diesel run generators) and Nairobi South Gas
turbine (11.5 MW) in total producing about 146.5MW. About 174 MW is generated
by IPPs’ (Tsavo and IberAfrica) thermal installations. Two emergency thermal
power plants situated in Embakasi & Eldoret also do exist.
Other sources of electricity
• About 0.4MW is generated from 0.55MW wind generators installed at Ngong
hills.
• KENGEN also runs isolated diesel plants producing about 5.8MW (Lamu -2.4
MW, Garissa – 3.4 MW).
Geographical location of power plants
Courtesy: Francis Njoka
16
Upcoming projects
Capacity Station Type Implementer
50MW Tana, Kiambere &
Kindaruma
Hydro KENGEN
21.2MW Sangoro downstream
Sondu Miriu
Hydro KENGEN
35MW &
2.5MW
Olkaria & Eburru Geothermal KENGEN
35MW Olkaria Geothermal IPP
50MW Nairobi Diesel IPP
90MW Rabai (Mombasa) Diesel IPP
60MW Kipevu Gas KENGEN
30MW N- Eastern Wind L. Turkana Wind
Power
38MW Bagasse
Cogeneration
Mumias/TARDA
11 off-grids N-Eastern Diesel KENGEN
And several Regional interconnections with Uganda and Tanzania.
3.4. Others sources of energy
Solar Energy
Kenya receives an irradiation of about 4-6 kWh per m2
per day. The solar industry
may not be quoted as successful despite the many players in the field. Over 15
Solar companies and ‘stockists’ are in private solar business. There also exists a
solar energy networking entity, Solarnet, which attempts to bring together all
players in the renewable energy field and create awareness. It is estimated that
over 220,000 solar PV units under SHS scheme are currently in use in Kenya and
about 7,000 solar thermosyphon kits are in use for water heating and drying.
Recently, through the Government’s rural electrification programme about 16
schools in North Eastern province (Garissa, Wajir & Mandera areas) were supplied
with solar electricity.
Micro Hydro power
Kenya has quite significant endowment sites suitable for community mini gird
systems. The current known potential for isolated mini and micro hydro power is
estimated to be 300 MW. However, less than 1MW is currently exploited. Micro
hydro projects offer potential solutions to rural electrification though this may not
be long-term. A good example is the Tungu Kabiri 20kW unit (Meru south district),
a project implemented by UNDP and Practical action. Other commendable projects
include, the European Commission co-funded Kathamba (1.1kW) and Thima
(2.2kW) projects both in Kirinyaga district.
17
Wind mills
Courtesy: Bob Harries Ltd
Kenya is also home to the famous
multi-bladed Kijito wind pumps. The
pumps are manufact red by a private
company located in Thika and owned
by Bob Harries Engineering ltd
(BHEL), since 1979. The pumps are
mostly installed in arid and semi-arid
areas (ASALs) to pump water from
boreholes. The company has
u
installed
h about 75%
of them being within Kenya.
.0. Consumption by sector & trends
over 400 wind pumps wit
4
Consumption by sector 1999
11%
12%
7%
1%68%
1%
Industry Transport
Agriculture Commerce &public services
Residential Non-Energy uses
The above chart shows that most of Kenya’s energy is consumed by the residential
ector. Despite the fact that the above data is somewhat outdated, the tread mays
not have changed much. This is supported or can be deduced from the fact that
biomass use has not changed much within the last decade.
18
The chart below also shows that the consumption of renewable sources continues
to increase tremendously whereas fossil fuel increments are minimal.
.0. Barriers to RE – Policy
as much as the Government’s role in matters of energy is critical, its stake in
n der compromises its ability, through the Ministry of
nergy and ERC to clear and objective policy decisions. On the other hand, there
5
In
the e ergy sector as a provi
E
is the problem of non-cohesive and coordinated research and/or initiatives within
the general energy regime. The level of awareness among key stakeholders and
the general public is still wanting. A good understanding of the global energy
trends is necessary for informed decisions/guidelines. Kenya is also deficient of
trained manpower in the energy sector.
19
6.0. Conclusion
he Ministry of Energy’s introduction of feed-in-Tariffs is a step in the right
irection and it is hoped more investors venture into RE though favourable
ar PV are needed as well. The future sources of energy are
d crisis.
. For
• The Energy Act 2006
• www.energy.go.ke
T
d
incentives for sol
definitely going to be renewables. The Ministry also needs to unite and strengthen
the already existing groups of renewable energy players and all players must on
the other hand look at each other as partners and not competitors.
For the Government to play a dual role, a lot of sobriety and objectivity must be
practiced at all levels of its administration. The Government also needs to
coordinate Biofuel establishments to mitigate probable food/fuel/lan
As the rest of the world focus on independent, sustainable, clean and efficient
energy systems, Kenya also needs to work on its energy infrastructure. The
starting point is training of personnel especially in Renewable energy
instance, the unsustainable use of biomass (which is a function of population
increase, high levels of poverty), global warming trends and environmental
degradation trends are all reflecting negatively on big hydropower plants for
example. Therefore, only focusing on the quantitive production projections and
failing to build on alternatives through training and research, investing or
incentives will lead to adhoc remedial actions.
7.0. References
– 29/12/2008
nication.go.ke• www.commu – 30/12/2008
• www.kengen.co.ke 05/2008, 29/12/008
• www.kplc.co.ke – 05/2008, 30/12/2008
• www.kpc.co.ke – 05/2008
• Approval for schedule of tariffs of supply by KPLC – Gazette notice No.12 of
nvestors – Min. of Energy 01/05/2008
• ile: Kenya, June 2007 – Library congress (FRD)
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AFREPREN/FWD
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