Climate

For decades, Kenyan households have cooked in a haze—literal and economic. The humble kitchen, the heart of family life, has doubled as a frontline of deforestation, indoor air pollution, and chronic health risks. Yet over the past ten years, something quietly radical has happened. Clean-cooking access has tripled, rising from a meagre 12% in 2014 to 34% . In a development landscape obsessed with grand infrastructure and political theatrics, this is one of Kenya’s most overlo

China’s roads used to hum with the roar of internal combustion engines. Not anymore. In 2024, nearly half of all new cars sold in China—48%—are electric, a figure that dwarfs the global average of 22% and places China well ahead of most advanced economies.

Africa accounts for 19% of the world’s population but only 3% of global GDP. This disparity is starkly visible in its energy investment: while Africa spends 3.6% of GDP on energy, slightly more than the global average of 2.9%—its investment per capita is just USD 68, compared to the global average of USD 402. According to World Energy Investment 2025 - IEA.

Kenya has made meaningful strides toward cleaner cooking energy. According to the 2023/2024 Kenya Housing Survey, 34.4% of households now use clean fuels like LPG, electricity, ethanol, and biogas. Urban areas have seen the sharpest shift—71.5% of city households rely on clean energy, with Nairobi leading at a near-universal 95.1%. Yet behind these headline gains lies a far grimmer reality: rural Kenya remains shrouded in smoke.

In the fight against climate change, the most dramatic transformations often unfold quietly. Kenya, with little fanfare, has staged an energy revolution. In 2024, nearly 92% of the country’s electricity came from renewable sources—a feat that puts many industrial giants to shame.

Kenya’s carbon market is booming, and one category dominates: Household & Community projects. These initiatives—ranging from improved cookstoves to water purification systems—deliver dual benefits: reducing emissions while improving lives. But they’re also carbon goldmines. Just six top projects have issued over 14 million credits, accounting for nearly 40% of Gold Standard credits in Kenya, cementing the country’s position as a regional leader.

Kenya’s forests, long regarded as a key bulwark against climate change, are facing renewed commercial pressure. The 2025 Economic Survey shows a dramatic spike in state forest product sales, particularly softwood timber, which surged to 604,400 cubic metres in 2024—a more than 4 times  from the previous year.

Over the last five years, Kenya has witnessed an unprecedented surge in the number of boreholes drilled — a welcome sign in a country where climate variability, population growth, and urban expansion are intensifying demand for reliable water sources. Yet, beneath the impressive growth lies a troubling truth: while access to water is expanding, the infrastructure to ensure its safety is not keeping pace.