Energy Access in Kenya

According to data from the World Bank, in 2010 only 22.7 percent of the Kenyan population had access to electricity. However, this compares with 14.8 percent in Tanzania and 15.0 percent in Mozambique. The majority of the people continue to rely on biofuels and waste such as firewood for heating and cooking. Figures from Kenya Open Data show that there are great disparities in electricity access across Kenya's 48 counties, from 72 percent in Nairobi to just 2.45 percent in Turkana.

Energy access in Kenya remains very low. However in 2008, former President Mwai Kibaki launched Vision 2030, a programme to develop the Kenyan economy over the next two decades, and various initiatives are underway to improve energy access in the country. One plan is to build a nuclear power station by 2017 which could produce 9000 megawatts by 2030. Meanwhile a report by Deloitte states that over the past two years, more oil may have been discovered in East Africa than any other region in the world. As a result energy access in Kenya and the region as a whole may change significantly over the next few years.

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