Energy pathways for achieving Kenyas nationally determined contribution to global efforts to mitigate climate change

The document examines the trade-offs between low-carbon and high-carbon energy pathways in Kenya, highlighting the financial, regulatory, and social challenges of transitioning to renewable energy. It emphasizes the need for a balanced energy portfolio, the importance of addressing household biomass consumption, and the critical role of community engagement and transparent benefit-sharing to avoid public opposition to renewable energy projects.

• Kenya's goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030 relative to business-as-usual levels requires the energy sector to follow a low-carbon trajectory, especially as the country aims to become a newly industrialized middle-income country by the same date.
• Transitioning to low-carbon energy systems involves significant financial costs, with estimated investments for grid expansion, high-efficiency technologies, and transport fuel switching ranging from USD 5 billion to USD 30 billion.
• There is a tension between low-carbon pathways and the growing exploitation of domestic coal and oil. While fossil fuels are often seen as more attractive for rapid short-term economic growth, they risk concentrating benefits in urban areas and creating long-term infrastructure lock-in.
• Achieving universal energy access requires both centralized and decentralized power, but decentralized solutions (like mini-grids) face greater challenges regarding business models, regulatory clarity, and higher perceived costs compared to the cross-subsidized national grid.
• Household cooking is a dominant energy consumer, accounting for 72% of total final energy consumption in 2014. The transition from biomass and charcoal to cleaner fuels like LPG is hindered by import dependence, costs, and cultural preferences regarding food flavor and cooking traditions.
• Renewable energy projects in Kenya face significant public opposition due to land access disputes, perceived lack of local benefits, and distrust. Effective mitigation requires early stakeholder engagement and transparent, co-designed benefit-sharing mechanisms.

APA

Johnson, O., Wanjiru, H., Ogeya, M., Johnson, F., van Klaveren, M., & Longa, F. D. (2017). Energy pathways for achieving Kenyas nationally determined contribution to global efforts to mitigate climate change. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Kenya_Energy_Pathways_for_achieving_NDC.pdf

Chicago

Johnson, Oliver, Hannah Wanjiru, Mbeo Ogeya, Francis Johnson, Marieke van Klaveren, and Francesco Dalla Longa. Energy pathways for achieving Kenyas nationally determined contribution to global efforts to mitigate climate change. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2017. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Kenya_Energy_Pathways_for_achieving_NDC.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{johnson2017energy, author = {Johnson, Oliver and Wanjiru, Hannah and Ogeya, Mbeo and Johnson, Francis and van Klaveren, Marieke and Longa, Francesco Dalla}, title = {{Energy pathways for achieving Kenyas nationally determined contribution to global efforts to mitigate climate change}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2017}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Kenya_Energy_Pathways_for_achieving_NDC.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }