Kenya: A green growth utopia?

This policy brief by Clingendael examines Kenya's potential to become a leader in green growth and renewable energy within the East African Community, highlighting the alignment of government and donor priorities alongside legislative frameworks like the 2016 Climate Change Act. It identifies critical hurdles, including suboptimal government capacity and the discovery of coal and oil reserves, and recommends prioritizing energy infrastructure, integrating micro-grid solutions for universal energy access by 2020, and leveraging devolution to increase public participation.

• Kenya has established a framework for green growth through the 2010 constitution, the 2013 elections, and the 2016 Climate Change Act, aiming to lead the East African Community in climate change objectives. However, this ambition is challenged by low electricity access, suboptimal government capacity, and the discovery of oil and coal reserves.
• To achieve the 2020 target for universal energy access, the document suggests that renewable-based micro-grids and distributed solar home systems may be more efficient and faster than expanding the national energy grid, particularly for isolated off-grid and populated areas.
• The brief recommends prioritizing investment in energy infrastructure, specifically distribution and transmission, to ensure a reliable electricity supply. It also suggests that constitutional reform and devolution can enhance energy security by improving accountability and public participation.

APA

Climate and Development Knowledge Network (2017). Kenya: A green growth utopia? https://cdkn.org/resource/policy-brief-kenya-green-growth-utopia

Chicago

Climate and Development Knowledge Network. Kenya: A green growth utopia? 2017. https://cdkn.org/resource/policy-brief-kenya-green-growth-utopia.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |title=Kenya: A green growth utopia? |date=22 February 2017 |url=https://cdkn.org/resource/policy-brief-kenya-green-growth-utopia |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateanddevelopmentknowledgenetwork2017kenya, author = {{Climate and Development Knowledge Network}}, title = {{Kenya: A green growth utopia?}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2017}, month = feb, url = {https://cdkn.org/resource/policy-brief-kenya-green-growth-utopia}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }