Summary
The National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) assessed the uptake of green energy among Special Interest Groups (SIGs), including women, youth, older members of society, persons with disabilities and marginalized communities, in eight Kenyan counties. Use of green energy in the last 12 months was 74% among SIGs. Use was highest in peri-urban areas (81.4%), followed by urban (75.3%) and rural areas (73.8%), and highest in institutions (85.7%).
Awareness was high: 84% of respondents had heard of green energy. Yet firewood (19.9%) and charcoal (17.7%) remained the most used energy forms. Reliability (42.2%) and affordability (40.8%) were the main challenges, and 72% of respondents had at some point switched from green energy to non-renewable energy. Even so, 93% said they intend to use green energy in future.
Perceptions were largely favourable: 61.9% strongly disagreed that green energy is unsuitable for women. The report recommends affordable, reliable and subsidised solutions, awareness campaigns, disaggregated data, affirmative action in the energy sector, and inclusion of SIGs in policy and project design.
Key findings
- In the eight sampled counties, 74% of Special Interest Group respondents used green energy in the last 12 months, compared with 85% for non-SIGs and 76% overall.
- Green energy use was highest in peri-urban areas (81.4%), followed by urban areas (75.3%) and rural areas (73.8%); by facility type, institutions had 85.7% usage, households 77% and business outlets 73%.
- Firewood was the most used energy form at 19.9%, followed by charcoal (17.7%), electricity (16.3%) and solar (13.6%); biogas was the least used at 0.2%.
- Among respondents, 84% had heard of green energy, but awareness was 25.4% among those with no education, compared with 96.6% among degree holders and 92.7% among diploma holders.
- Respondents named unreliability (42.2%) and expense (40.8%) as the main challenges in using green energy; 72% had switched from green energy to non-renewable energy at some point, mainly because it was not always available (25.1%) or affordable (24%).
- Of respondents, 93% said they intend to use green energy in future, and 61.9% strongly disagreed that green energy is not suitable for use by women.
- Among all users of green energy, women formed 37%, youth 25%, older members of society 11%, persons with disabilities 3% and minority and marginalized communities 1%.
- Only 52% of respondents were aware of green energy projects or programmes by governments, NGOs or other actors in their area; 48% had not heard of any.
Recommendations
- National Government should make green energy and clean cooking affordable, good quality and efficient, and expand subsidies matched to household and business incomes, with targeted support for low-income groups.
- National Government should run awareness campaigns for SIGs, with special attention to uneducated SIGs, and involve SIGs in green energy project cycles.
- National Government should review Section 139(3) of the Energy Act, 2019 so green energy producers can distribute excess energy to neighbours in areas smaller than one-quarter of a square kilometre.
- National and county governments should mainstream SIG needs in energy policies, plans, budgets and programmes, and design affirmative action programmes in the energy sector.
- National Government should strengthen collection of disaggregated data on access to green energy by SIG category.
- National Government should address socio-cultural norms that limit adoption of clean cooking and consider the needs of nomadic communities.
- County governments should keep a database of green energy technicians for installation, repair and maintenance, and run capacity-building and awareness programmes in diverse languages and formats.
- Private sector and CSOs should offer grants, subsidies and training, and design accessible, customised green energy solutions for persons with disabilities.
How the study was done
A mixed-methods design combined a household and facility survey with policy-level interviews and case studies. A largely closed-ended questionnaire was used, with 754 questionnaires distributed to households, businesses and institutions. Purposive sampling covered eight counties. There were 26 policy interviews (22 county, 4 national) and 16 case studies. Quantitative data were analysed with SPSS and Excel; qualitative data by theme. Data were collected between September 2020 and December 2021. Eleven counties were planned but eight were reached because of financial constraints.
Questions & answers
How many Special Interest Group respondents used green energy in Kenya?
In the NGEC assessment covering eight Kenyan counties, 74% of Special Interest Group respondents had used green energy in the last 12 months. The figure was 85% for non-SIGs and 76% overall. Among youth it was 77%, women 72%, older members of society 67%, persons with disabilities 81% and minority and marginalized communities 90%.
What are the biggest barriers to green energy use for SIGs in Kenya?
The NGEC survey found reliability (42.2%) and expense (40.8%) were the main challenges in using green energy. Others were the need for training (7.7%), unavailability in needed amounts (5%) and unsatisfactory results (2.7%). Interviews also cited high upfront costs, limited finance, weak infrastructure in rural areas, low awareness and sociocultural barriers.
Why do people switch from green energy back to non-renewable fuels in Kenya?
According to the NGEC report, 72% of respondents had at some point switched from green energy to non-renewable energy. The main reasons were that green energy was not always available (25.1%), not always affordable (24%), unreliable (18.9%), unable to meet all needs (16.9%) or unable to perform some functions (10%).
Which energy sources do Kenyans in the surveyed counties use most?
In the NGEC survey, firewood was the most used energy form at 19.9%, followed by charcoal (17.7%), electricity (16.3%) and solar (13.6%). Biogas was the least used at 0.2%. The report notes that biomass fuels, particularly charcoal and firewood, remain the most widely used by Special Interest Groups.
Do Kenyans think green energy is unsuitable for women?
No, most respondents rejected this view. In the NGEC assessment, 61.9% of respondents strongly disagreed that green energy is not suitable for use by women, and 56.4% disagreed that green energy is not socially accepted in their community. The report says a few people still hold these undesired perceptions.
Do people in Kenya intend to use green energy in future?
Yes. The NGEC report found that 93% of respondents said they intend to use green energy in the future, while 7% did not. Among those who did not, common reasons such as safety, availability, expense and dependability accounted for 81% of responses.
What does NGEC recommend to improve green energy uptake among SIGs?
NGEC recommends making green energy affordable and reliable through subsidies and financing, running awareness campaigns for SIGs, involving SIGs in project cycles, collecting disaggregated data, designing affirmative action programmes, and reviewing Section 139(3) of the Energy Act, 2019. It also urges inclusive designs for persons with disabilities.
