Country Brief: Sustainable Cooling for All in Kenya

This briefing outlines the critical need for sustainable cooling in Kenya, highlighting the vulnerability of millions of people to extreme heat and the potential climate impact of increasing refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) usage. It connects cooling access to health, nutrition, and economic goals, while aligning these needs with Kenya's Energy Transition and Investment Plan 2023-2050.

• Millions of people in Kenya's hottest regions—the Rift Valley, Northeastern, Eastern, and Coast—face significant risks due to a lack of cooling access. Specifically, 9.6 million rural and urban poor are at high risk because they live below the international poverty line of less than USD 2.15 per day, reside in substandard housing, and lack electricity. Additionally, 14.8 million lower-middle-income individuals are at medium risk due to limited financial resources and a lack of electricity.
• The growth of refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) usage, driven by rising temperatures and incomes, poses a risk to Kenya's climate goals. According to the 2022 National Cooling Action Plan for Kenya (NCAP), combined direct and indirect emissions from RAC are approximately 4 Mt CO2eq in 2030 and could increase to 7.87 Mt CO2eq by 2050 under a 'business as usual' scenario. These emissions result from energy use, appliance end-of-life, and refrigerant leakage.

APA

Sustainable Energy for All (2024). Country Brief: Sustainable Cooling for All in Kenya. https://www.seforall.org/publications/country-brief-sustainable-cooling-for-all-in-kenya

Chicago

Sustainable Energy for All. Country Brief: Sustainable Cooling for All in Kenya. 2024. https://www.seforall.org/publications/country-brief-sustainable-cooling-for-all-in-kenya.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Sustainable Energy for All |title=Country Brief: Sustainable Cooling for All in Kenya |date=7 November 2024 |url=https://www.seforall.org/publications/country-brief-sustainable-cooling-for-all-in-kenya |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sustainableenergyforall2024country, author = {{Sustainable Energy for All}}, title = {{Country Brief: Sustainable Cooling for All in Kenya}}, institution = {Sustainable Energy for All}, year = {2024}, month = nov, url = {https://www.seforall.org/publications/country-brief-sustainable-cooling-for-all-in-kenya}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }