Under the beautiful blue skies of Makueni, and in the presence of the Governor of Makueni County, H.E Mutula Kilonzo Jnr. CBS and the British Deputy High Commissioner, Dr. Ed. Barnett, local leaders and the community, an innovative ten-year clean energy plan for Makueni County was unveiled on 17th September 2024. This marks a significant milestone after years of joint effort between the Government of Makueni County, the UK Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (UKPACT), Strathmore University, through Strathmore Energy Research Centre and World Resources Institute.

During the launch, H.E Mutula Kilonzo reminded the community of the ten-point agenda that was set out when he took office with one being developing a County Energy Plan among the key priority areas set.

“This plan speaks to our soul as a government and community. My dream is to see a County powered by clean, sustainable, reliable and affordable energy. The plan we are launching today holds the potential to reshape our future energy landscape. It not only ensures energy access to households across the county, but also electrification of schools and healthcare facilities, value addition for agricultural produce, powering water for domestic and agricultural use, and cold chain infrastructure to increase the shelf-life of our produce,” affirmed Governor Mutula.

The County Energy Plan was data-driven, incorporating comprehensive information on current and potential energy consumers, existing access levels, prevailing challenges, and the diverse energy needs across Makueni County. Both qualitative and quantitative data were employed, with surveys collecting quantitative data from various entities including households (n=634), businesses (n=394), healthcare facilities (n=55), and educational institutions (n=365). 

Energy modelling tools such as the Energy Access Explorer, Kobo Tool Box, and Stata among others were utilized to identify cost-effective solutions for universal electricity access and clean cooking, while a bioenergy balance was developed to assess the sustainability of biomass consumption in Makueni County.

“The launch of the Makueni County’s first-ever County Energy Plan not only highlights the County’s commitment to sustainable energy solutions but also underscores the UK and Kenya’s shared ambition to drive economic growth and improve livelihoods through clean energy,” said Dr. Ed Barnett, British Deputy High Commissioner.

Indeed, the Government of Makueni has emerged a champion of energy added Dr. Churchill Saoke, Director, Strathmore Energy Research Centre. He reiterated his gratitude to the Governor and his team for constantly being at the forefront during the development process.

The unveiling of the County Energy Plan comes a month after the county commissioned a state of the art 200 Kilowatts On-Grid Solar PV project that has begun saving precious lives by ensuring access to energy by all patients using Makueni Referral Level IV hospital as well as save the hospital approximately Kshs. 7 million annually in power costs.

Makueni is now one of the few counties in Kenya to have a fully developed County Energy Plan. This plan aligns closely with the Energy Act of 2019, which requires counties to develop and update energy plans every 3-5 years.

Article written by: Anne Njeri, Communications Officer, Strathmore Energy Research Centre.