Kenya’s Solar Revolution: Why More Homes and Businesses Are Ditching the National GridPress Release
For David Njugi, the decision to go solar began when he realised that connecting his newly built home to the national electricity grid would be too expensive.
“The national grid had not yet reached my site, and connecting it would have been quite expensive. Solar was a good alternative,” Njugi said.
Today, his home runs entirely on solar power—an experience increasingly being replicated across the country.
The transition is also taking place in the commercial sector. About 2,000 of Safaricom’s 7,000 base transmission stations are now fully powered by solar energy, while major commercial developments such as Two Rivers Mall have invested in large-scale rooftop solar installations.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), Kenya’s electricity access increased from 37 per cent in 2013 to 79 per cent in 2023, putting the country on course for universal electricity access by 2030.
Despite the progress, millions of Kenyans continue to depend on off-grid energy solutions. Kenya has emerged as East Africa’s largest off-grid solar market, accounting for nearly 74 per cent of solar home system sales in the region, with one in every five Kenyan households using standalone solar systems or mini-grids.
However, renewable-energy experts caution that purchasing solar equipment is only the beginning. Choosing the correct system for a household’s actual electricity needs is critical.
For Hellen Wangui, Njugi’s wife, adopting solar initially required convincing.
“I had always heard about solar, but I didn’t believe it was practical,” she said.
Her biggest concern was whether solar could power the everyday demands of a Kenyan household, particularly kitchen appliances.
After testing the system, her concerns disappeared.
“My husband kept telling me the system could do it. It has been a journey of accepting and testing, and it has been working perfectly.”
The family has also adjusted its electricity-use habits. High-consumption activities such as cooking, ironing and running other appliances are scheduled between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when solar generation is at its peak. Electricity consumption is then reduced after sunset.
The experience highlights the importance of solar system sizing—the process of assessing a household’s energy consumption before determining the appropriate combination of solar panels, batteries and inverters.
Gilbert Mugo, who founded Keru Solar in 2024 after working on Kenya’s Last Mile Connectivity Programme, says many consumers make the mistake of choosing a solar system based on their budget rather than their actual energy requirements.
“Many people focus on how much they want to spend instead of how much power they actually need,” Mugo said.
He recommends that qualified technicians first conduct a detailed assessment before designing and installing a system.
An undersized system may fail to meet a household’s electricity needs, while an oversized system could leave consumers paying for capacity they rarely use.
For Njugi, engineers assessed his home before recommending a 10-kilowatt system.
“The engineers visited the site, carried out their assessment and designed the system. We agreed on what was reasonable before settling on a 10-kilowatt system,” he said.
Falling equipment prices over the past decade have also helped make solar energy increasingly accessible to Kenyan consumers.
However, Mugo warns homeowners against choosing systems simply because they are cheaper. He advises consumers to work with qualified technicians, insist on proper system sizing and invest in quality equipment.
A properly installed solar system, he says, can serve a household for approximately 20 to 25 years, making it a long-term investment rather than a short-term purchase.
For Hellen, the experience has completely changed her view of solar energy.
“Solar works. I didn’t believe it. Now I’m living it.”
Kenya’s growing adoption of solar power is therefore not merely an energy story—it is increasingly becoming a story of household savings, business resilience and the country’s transition toward a cleaner and more decentralised energy future.
