Plans to phase out fossil energy by 2030 hang in balance

The plan to phase out fossil energy in the country by 2030 hangs in the balance due to financial constraints compounded by the withdrawal of donor support.

The situation has been worsened by the high number of Kenyans who are not connected to the electricity grid, forcing them to use other means of energy like diesel and firewood.

Currently, data shows that the country's electricity connection stands at over 75 per cent with more than 90 per cent sourced from renewable energy sources.

According to Jackline Kimeu, a climate change advisor at Christian Aid, Kenyans and their African peers were not on track to achieve energy access by the year 2030.

Kimeu said countries' inadequate funding and the recent withdrawal of donor funds from USAID would delay the transition to renewable energy on the continent.

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“The envisioned plan to phase out fossil energy by 2030 faces challenges as many donors are not willing to support climate change projects,” she said.

Speaking during a climate change workshop in Naivasha, she said the move will curtail and prevent millions of citizens from accessing clean energy, which currently stands at 600 million.

However, Kimeu said there was a need to come up with means of accelerating financing to renewable energy by harnessing transition to grants based financing systems as opposed to debts. 

She added that through Mission 300, there were plans to connect over 300 million people in Africa to clean energy by the year 2030.

On his part, John Kiori, the Chair of Kenya Climate Change Working Group said there was a need to accelerate the adoption of decentralized renewables such as solar, biogas, clean cooking stoves to reach the most vulnerable and marginalized communities.

Addressing the press, Kiori said the government must partner with civil societies and other development partners to address low funding and support 80 per cent of the population who still depend on biomass sources. 

According to Vicky Chepkorir, the Director of Special Programs at the State Department for Climate Change, phasing out fossil fuels requires huge financial investments. 

She said the government had scaled up its support both financially and through policies that have accelerated the adoption of renewable energy sources such as electric mobility, clean energy cooking stoves.

The ongoing initiatives to address deforestation aim to support local communities that have borne the effects of using fossil fuels.