Universal electricity access is a prerequisite for inclusive development
Opinion
By
Isaac Kiva
| Mar 04, 2026
In 2003, the proportion of the Kenyan population with access to electricity was approximately 24.5 percent, with only 6.9 percent of the rural population having access to power. By 2023, Kenya had significantly expanded electricity access with about 75 percent of households now connected, driven by grid and off-grid renewable solutions, enabling Kenya to be on course to achieve 100 percent universal access by 2030.
In line with Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7), universal access to electricity is no longer a peripheral development ambition but a core social and economic right. This principle commits countries to ensure that access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy is available to all, regardless of their location.
Importantly, universal access is not defined solely by grid connectivity, but also by alternatives that make it possible to power off-grid communities. This enables them to utilise basic appliances such as lights, phones, radios, TVs, and tools of production. Universal access demands that generation be through a combination of the national grid, mini-grids, or standalone systems.
According to the Kenya National Energy Compact (2025 to 2030), achieving universal electricity access by 2030 will require connecting about 5.1 million additional households through a mix of grid extension, mini-grids, and off-grid solutions. For Kenya, 2025 was a turning point with household connections reaching 10 million.
Globally, heavy energy investments have ensured that about 92 percent of the world’s population now has access to electricity. Sadly, nearly 650 million people, or eight out of every 10 people without access to electricity globally, are in Africa, a stark imbalance that reinforces the urgent need for African nations to harness locally available energy resources for the public good.
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This makes it economically strategic, as exhibited in other countries that treated electricity access as a development right. For instance, India and Indonesia reached universal electricity access through coordinated national programmes that combined grid expansion with off-grid solutions for remote communities.
Bangladesh has nearly closed its access gap, with electricity now reaching over 99 per cent of its population. Tunisia and Egypt have achieved full national access, with Rwanda heavily investing in raising electricity access from just six percent in 2009 to about 75 percent by 2024. Key priority areas for connectivity include public facilities, rural households, and renewable solutions.
Kenya’s own journey reflects this global trajectory, having invested heavily in promoting access to electricity, where communities living in densely populated areas enjoy better access. Off-grid solar, mini-grids, and battery storage technologies are being harnessed to expand electricity coverage to remote regions. One such national initiative is the Kenya Off-Grid Solar Access Project (KOSAP), implemented by the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum in partnership with the World Bank. KOSAP is designed to deliver clean electricity and clean cooking solutions to over 1.5 million people across 14 underserved counties of Turkana, Marsabit, Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, Samburu, Isiolo, West Pokot, Narok, Kwale, Kilifi, Tana River, Taita Taveta, and Lamu.
The main approaches of the project are the deployment of solar-powered mini-grids, standalone solar systems for public institutions, and solar home systems for individual households located far away from grid connectivity.
Dr. Kiva is the Secretary for Renewable Energy in the State Department for Energy, Ministry of Energy and Petroleum