NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenya has strengthened its role in regional energy integration following the election of Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) Director General Daniel Kiptoo as Chairperson of the Independent Regulatory Board (IRB) of the Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP).
Kiptoo will serve a two-year term, a development expected to accelerate preparations for the launch of a unified regional electricity market in early 2026.
EPRA, in a statement released on Friday, noted that the appointment comes at a defining moment for East Africa, where countries are working to operationalise cross-border power trade and enhance energy security.
Speaking during the IRB’s 10th meeting in Arusha, Tanzania, Kiptoo said the region is “on the verge of realising a fully integrated electricity market that delivers reliable, affordable, and sustainable power.”
Kiptoo’s leadership is poised to shape the final steps toward market readiness, including the implementation of non-discriminatory access rules for regional transmission networks, standardisation of Power Purchase Agreements and investment frameworks for cross-border transmission lines.
The EAPP, which brings together 13 member countries, aims to pool energy resources, stabilise supply, and lower costs through shared infrastructure and coordinated regulation.
Beyond his new role, Kiptoo currently chairs the Regional Association of Energy Regulators for Eastern and Southern Africa (RAERESA) and the Regulatory Energy Transition Accelerator (RETA). He also serves as Vice Chair of the International Confederation of Energy Regulators (ICER), giving him influence in global energy governance conversations.
The EPRA boss brings extensive academic and professional experience to the post. He holds an LL.B from the University of Nairobi, an LL.M in Petroleum Law and Policy from the University of Dundee, an MBA in Energy and Sustainability from the University of Cumbria, and a postgraduate diploma from the Kenya School of Law.
He has also completed executive programmes at Harvard Kennedy School and is pursuing a PhD at Dundee’s Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy.
Kiptoo began his career in Kenya’s energy sector, serving in the legal department of the former Energy Regulatory Commission and later as a legal advisor at the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum.
He chaired the government’s First Oil Committee and contributed to major legal reforms, including drafting the Energy Act, 2019, and Petroleum Act, 2019. He was appointed Acting Director General of EPRA in December 2020 and confirmed in the position in July 2021.
EPRA, established under the Energy Act, 2019, regulates Kenya’s electricity, petroleum, coal, and renewable energy sectors. Its mandates include tariff setting, licensing, oversight of PPAs and network service contracts, dispute resolution, and regulation of upstream petroleum and gas operations.
Kenya’s growing leadership in regional energy regulatory platforms aligns with its broader ambitions to become a central power trade hub, supported by expanding geothermal capacity and regional interconnector projects linking Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, and beyond.
With the operationalisation of the EAPP market now within sight, Kiptoo’s elevation signals both regional confidence in Kenya’s regulatory expertise and the country’s intent to play a decisive role in shaping East Africa’s energy future.
