The political economy of low carbon energy in Kenya

This policy brief examines the political economy of low carbon energy in Kenya, exploring how national energy security goals align with renewable energy technologies to address energy price volatility and climate vulnerability, while noting the potential complicating influence of recent oil and gas discoveries.

• Kenya faces significant energy challenges, including some of the lowest rates of access to modern energy services globally, high regional energy costs, and a fragile grid. Energy production is further threatened by climate vulnerability, specifically droughts that impact hydro capacity and raise energy prices.
• There is a strategic alignment where both the Kenyan government and donors view renewable energy as a superior alternative to fossil fuels for achieving national energy security, specifically for providing cheap and reliable electricity and reducing vulnerability to oil price volatility and currency exchange rates.
• While renewable energy offers a 'win-win' for climate and development, recent discoveries of oil and gas in Kenya have created excitement that could potentially hinder the adoption of low carbon energy options.
• The document is part of a CDKN-funded project focused on pro-poor, low carbon development, specifically analyzing the successful adoption of Solar Home Systems in Kenya to inform policy and the design of Climate Innovation Centres in Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

APA

Climate and Development Knowledge Network (2014). The political economy of low carbon energy in Kenya. https://cdkn.org/resource/political-economy-of-low-carbon-energy-kenya

Chicago

Climate and Development Knowledge Network. The political economy of low carbon energy in Kenya. 2014. https://cdkn.org/resource/political-economy-of-low-carbon-energy-kenya.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |title=The political economy of low carbon energy in Kenya |date=15 July 2014 |url=https://cdkn.org/resource/political-economy-of-low-carbon-energy-kenya |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateanddevelopmentknowledgenetwork2014political, author = {{Climate and Development Knowledge Network}}, title = {{The political economy of low carbon energy in Kenya}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2014}, month = jul, url = {https://cdkn.org/resource/political-economy-of-low-carbon-energy-kenya}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }