LAMU, Kenya – Electricity generation in Kenya is expected to increase by 1,000 megawatts by 2029, following the completion of the Dangote East Africa Oil Refinery.
Speaking during the groundbreaking ceremony in Makowe, Lamu County, on Wednesday, September 30, President William Ruto said the KSh 2.6 trillion petrochemical complex will serve needs beyond a refinery.
“This refinery is designed to process up to 700,000 barrels of crude oil every day and serve not merely Kenya, but the wider Eastern African region. It also envisages up to 1,000 megawatts of power generation, part of which could ultimately serve needs beyond the refinery,” said Ruto in a statement seen by News9.africa.
Kenya’s electricity generation and demand
According to the Annual Energy & Petroleum Statistics Report 2025/2026, released by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) on Tuesday, September 29, total electricity generation in the country stood at 15,692.81 Gigawatts per hour.
Renewable energy accounted for 81.16% of Kenya’s total installed electricity generation capacity, with geothermal leading at 40.91% of the total energy generated, Hydropower (22.65%), wind (12.31%), electricity imports (12.19%) and interconnected thermal generation (8.34%).
The peak demand for electricity during the same period under review increased to 2,514.28 megawatts.
Ruto noted that Dangote East Africa Oil is bigger than a refinery, describing it as an investment in energy security, industrialisation, and regional integration.
The head of state noted that Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, imagined an East African energy security and refining platform capable of confronting one of the great contradictions in the sector when he accepted his call for the investment in Lamu.
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