NAIROBI, Kenya – The government has launched an ambitious multi-billion-shilling programme to stabilise Kenya’s power supply, curb frequent nationwide blackouts and accelerate household electricity connections.
Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi, appearing before the Senate plenary on Wednesday, said the State is investing heavily in new transmission lines, upgrading ageing substations and expanding power generation—including a major push into nuclear energy.
“We have several initiatives underway, including the development of nuclear energy, which we hope will ensure a stable and reliable power supply,” Wandayi said as he responded to concerns from senators on persistent outages and slow connections.
His briefing follows President William Ruto’s recent admission that Kenya’s current generation capacity is inadequate, forcing the government to implement daily load-shedding to keep the national grid stable.
“Between 5 pm and 10 pm, we have to do load-shedding. One data centre requires 1,000 megawatts, yet we only produce 2,300 megawatts,” President Ruto said during an address in Doha, Qatar.
He added that Kenya needs over Sh1 trillion to raise capacity to at least 5,000 megawatts to support economic growth.
Western Kenya prioritised
Wandayi noted that western Kenya—one of the regions worst hit by outages—is receiving targeted attention through new transmission lines and ongoing substation upgrades.
“We have put in place deliberate measures to address power reliability in Western Kenya, just as we are doing across the rest of the country,” he said.
He dismissed claims that newly connected households are increasingly defaulting on electricity bills, saying the ministry has seen no evidence of widespread inability to pay.
Tree pruning intensified
The CS said a significant number of blackouts, especially in rural areas, are caused by tree branches coming into contact with power lines.
Kenya Power, he added, has intensified tree-cutting and pruning to prevent recurrent faults.
Sh12bn for last-mile connections
The government, in partnership with the World Bank and the African Development Bank, has secured Sh12 billion to expand last-mile electricity connections in 35 counties.
Wandayi also revealed fresh reforms in power purchase agreements (PPAs), saying past contracts had unfairly exposed the government to risks.
“All PPAs must now be approved by the Attorney General to enhance transparency and ensure the country does not get a raw deal,” he said.
For the first time, PPAs will be denominated in both Kenya shillings and US dollars.
Nuclear power plan takes shape
Kenya is advancing plans to introduce nuclear energy, with the first plant expected to be built in Siaya County.
The project is designed to add an estimated 5,000 megawatts to the national grid in phases.
“We are determined that by 2027–28, we should be doing groundbreaking. The first phase will be in Siaya,” Wandayi told senators.
The CS reiterated that all current initiatives are guided by the national power development plan, which outlines the timeframe and projected demand for new electricity generation.
