Kenya Leads East Africa's Electricity Access Gains as Africa Falls Short of SDG7
A new global energy report credits the region with Africa's strongest electrification progress, even as hundreds of millions across Sub-Saharan Africa remain without reliable power ahead of 2030.
Kenya’s electricity access gains have placed the country among Africa’s strongest performers in expanding access to power, according to the latest Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2026.
The report identifies Kenya as one of the key contributors to Eastern Africa’s progress even as Africa remains the centre of the global electricity access challenge, with Sub-Saharan Africa accounting for 563 million of the world’s 655 million people still living without electricity.
Global electricity access reached 92 per cent in 2024, but current progress remains too slow to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7), which calls for universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy by 2030.
Eastern Africa Emerges as Africa’s Bright Spot
The report paints a sharply divided picture across Africa.
Between 2010 and 2024, Eastern Africa reduced its electricity access deficit by 35 million people, the largest improvement among Africa’s five sub-regions. The gains were supported by progress in Kenya, Rwanda, Mauritius and Seychelles, reflecting sustained investment in electricity infrastructure and expanding household connections.
Northern Africa also reduced its access deficit by about six million people over the same period, while Southern Africa cut its deficit by roughly four million.
Elsewhere, the picture was far less encouraging.
Central Africa saw the number of people without electricity grow by 34 million, driven largely by persistent challenges in the Central African Republic, Chad and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Western Africa recorded only limited improvement. The region’s electricity access deficit rose from 179 million people in 2010 to 186 million in 2022 before easing slightly to about 181 million in 2024, underscoring how population growth and uneven investment have slowed overall progress.
Kenya’s Electrification Model Draws Regional Attention
Kenya’s performance reflects more than a decade of investment in transmission infrastructure, last-mile connectivity and renewable electricity generation.
The country’s electricity mix is dominated by geothermal, hydropower, wind and solar energy, giving Kenya one of Africa’s cleanest power systems while supporting broader economic development.
The report also points to policy consistency, institutional capacity and long-term financing as common characteristics among countries that have expanded electricity access most successfully.
Within the East African Community, Rwanda has also made notable progress, while Uganda and Tanzania continue expanding electricity generation and rural connections. South Sudan and Burundi remain among the region’s least electrified countries because of conflict, financing constraints and limited infrastructure.
Why Much of Africa Is Still Falling Behind
Despite progress in several countries, the report concludes that electricity poverty is becoming concentrated in the continent’s poorest and most fragile economies.
Between 2022 and 2024, the number of people without electricity in Least Developed Countries declined from 485 million to 471 million. By comparison, countries affected by fragility, conflict and violence saw virtually no improvement, with the total moving only from 429 million to 428 million.
Population growth continues to offset many electrification gains across Sub-Saharan Africa, leaving governments under pressure to expand electricity infrastructure at a much faster pace if SDG7 is to remain achievable.
The report also notes that expanding national grids alone will not be sufficient. Mini-grids, stand-alone solar systems and stronger regional electricity interconnections will all be needed to reach remote communities more quickly.
Beyond Household Connections: Electricity Is Powering New Industries
Kenya’s expanding electricity network is also beginning to support new sectors of the economy.
Kenya Power recently reported cumulative revenue of KES 382 million from electric vehicle charging over a 34-month period, with electricity sales to the e-mobility sector growing more than 113-fold between July 2023 and April 2026. Monthly charging volumes have remained above one million kilowatt-hours since late 2025, reflecting rising demand beyond Nairobi as charging infrastructure expands to other parts of the country.
The utility is also modernising electricity service delivery through technologies such as Optical Character Recognition meter reading, which is being rolled out across approximately 1.8 million postpaid electricity meters to improve billing accuracy and operational efficiency.
These developments illustrate how wider electricity access is supporting new industries while modernising the national grid.
Mission 300 and the Road to Universal Access
Kenya is also positioned to play a prominent role in Mission 300, the joint initiative by the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank that aims to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030.
Its experience with renewable energy development, electricity market reforms and last-mile connectivity provides a practical model for neighbouring countries seeking to accelerate electrification.
Regional power trading through the East African Power Pool could further strengthen energy security by allowing countries to share generation capacity while lowering electricity costs across borders.
The report cautions, however, that electricity access represents only one part of SDG7. Clean cooking remains a major challenge across Sub-Saharan Africa, where millions of households still rely on polluting fuels that affect health, livelihoods and the environment.
Ultimately, the report presents two stories unfolding at once. Kenya and several of its East African neighbours have shown that sustained investment, clear policy and renewable energy can deliver meaningful progress. Across much of the continent, however, rapid population growth, conflict, financing gaps and weak infrastructure continue to leave hundreds of millions without electricity, placing universal energy access by 2030 beyond reach unless the pace of investment accelerates substantially.
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