Growth in cooking gas use, electricity and petroleum
products has driven growth in Kenya’s energy sector, piling pressure on infrastructure
development and supply reliability.
Latest data by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory
Authority (EPRA), released on Tuesday, shows LPG use rose 14.62 per
cent to 475,943 metric tonnes in the six months to June 2026.
This has lifted per capita consumption (the average amount
used by a single person, per year) from 7.9 kilogrammes to 8.9 kilogrammes.
The growth highlights increasing uptake of cleaner
cooking energy as households, institutions and businesses gradually move away
from traditional fuels such as firewood and charcoal.
According to EPRA acting director
general Joseph Oketch, the increase is as a result of expanded importation,
storage and distribution infrastructure, improved product availability and
government interventions aimed at promoting clean cooking.
The trend is significant for households
because cooking fuel remains a major component of domestic energy use,
particularly for low- and middle-income families that are vulnerable to
fluctuations in energy prices.
The government is also targeting
institutions as part of its clean cooking strategy.
Speaking during the release of the
sector statistics, Mohamed Birik, Secretary Administration in the State
Department for Petroleum said the National LPG Growth Strategy and subsidised
six-kilogramme LPG cylinders programme has helped rise consumption.
The government is providing bulk LPG
systems to more than 11,000 public boarding schools, TVETs and training
institutions.
He called on Kenyans should take advantage of subsidised
six-kilogramme LPG cylinders being distributed by National Oil Corporation of
Kenya, noting that the intervention is intended to expand access to cleaner
cooking energy.
The programme is expected to reduce
reliance on firewood and charcoal while improving access to cleaner and more
efficient cooking energy in institutions and households.
But the transition is happening
alongside rising demand across the wider economy, raising questions about
whether Kenya’s energy infrastructure can keep pace.
Domestic electricity consumption
recorded the strongest growth among customer categories, increasing 18.87
percent to 4,327.07 gigawatt-hours during the year.
The number of new individual electricity
connections rose by 411,710, taking cumulative grid-connected customers to
10.43 million.
Large commercial and industrial
consumers remained the largest electricity users, accounting for 47.57 percent
of total consumption.
The increase points to growing energy
needs from manufacturing, businesses and other productive activities.
Energy Principal Secretary Alex Wachira
said the country must ensure energy remains accessible as demand grows.
He said increasing electricity
consumption from manufacturing, digital infrastructure, commercial development
and electric mobility requires stronger, more flexible and resilient
transmission and distribution networks.
“The transformation and distribution
networks must become stronger, more flexible, and more resilient,” he said,
linking the expansion of energy infrastructure to increased investment.
Electric mobility was another major
growth area, with electricity consumption by electric vehicles rising 143.01
percent from 5.04 GWh to 12.25 GWh.
The increase followed greater uptake of
the e-mobility tariff. EPRA also removed the 15,000 kWh monthly consumption cap
for e-mobility customers, a move intended to support higher electricity use as
more electric vehicles enter the market.
For consumers and businesses, however,
rising demand means reliability and affordability will remain critical.
Petroleum imports increased 11.52 per
cent to 10.88 million cubic metres, reflecting higher demand from key economic
sectors, particularly transport and construction. Domestic petroleum
consumption rose 8.41 per cent to 6.33 million cubic metres.
Imports under the
government-to-government framework accounted for 72.42 percent of total
petroleum import volumes.
Meanwhile, Kenya’s installed electricity
generation capacity increased 3.81 percent to 3,987.20 MW by June 2026.
Captive solar PV capacity grew 24.22
percent, signalling increased investment by businesses and other consumers
seeking alternative sources of power.
EPRA also approved 10 power purchase
agreements during the year and issued 11 generation licences, eight
distribution and retail supply licences and one electricity export and import
licence.
For ordinary consumers, the statistics
point to an energy system that is expanding but also facing growing pressure to
deliver reliable and affordable power and cleaner cooking fuels, as the Middle
East war pushed up energy costs with LPG, petroleum products and power bills surging.
The authority received 489 complaints
during the year, resolving 482 while seven remained under review at the close
of the financial year.