Green infrastructure emerges as a new weapon against climate change
- Clare Ochieng
- May 30
- 4 min read
Published on 30 May 2026 at 08:42 GMT
By Clare Ochieng
Kenya’s expanding renewable energy infrastructure is increasingly being viewed not only as a contribution to global climate action, but also as a practical tool for economic stability, food security and community resilience.
In a country repeatedly affected by drought, failed rainy seasons, flash floods and rising temperatures, reliable and affordable electricity is becoming one of the foundations of adaptation. For communities in arid and semi-arid regions, where agriculture and livestock remain central to daily survival, the question of energy access is no longer separate from the question of climate resilience.
Kenya is already one of Africa’s leading renewable energy producers. According to the International Energy Agency, nearly 90 per cent of the country’s electricity generation comes from renewable sources, led by geothermal power, hydropower, wind and solar. Geothermal energy alone accounts for almost half of electricity generation, giving Kenya a level of clean baseload power that remains unusual across the continent.
This energy mix has placed the country in a strong position as governments, investors and development institutions look for cleaner ways to support industrial growth. Kenya’s National Energy Compact 2025–2030 states that national electricity access rose from approximately 30 per cent in 2014 to more than 75 per cent by 2024, a transformation that has changed the role of power in schools, health centres, small businesses and rural households.
For energy specialists, the expansion of renewable infrastructure has a double purpose. It reduces dependence on imported fossil fuels, which exposes the country to volatile global prices, and it creates more stable conditions for local production, transport, irrigation and food processing.
When oil prices rise, the cost is often felt far beyond petrol stations. Transport becomes more expensive, food prices increase and electricity systems that depend on imported fuels become more vulnerable. By expanding domestic renewable energy production, Kenya is attempting to reduce that exposure while keeping more public and private capital available for development needs.
The benefits are already visible in several sectors. In rural areas, improved electricity access allows schools to use digital learning tools, health centres to refrigerate vaccines and medicines, and small businesses to extend operating hours. For farmers, stable power can support irrigation, milling, cold storage and food processing, helping to reduce post-harvest losses and improve household income.
Geothermal energy is also being used beyond electricity generation. The Geothermal Development Company has developed direct-use pilot projects in Menengai, including milk pasteurisation, aquaculture ponds, greenhouses, laundry and grain drying. These applications show how heat from the earth can support agriculture and small-scale industry without relying on diesel, charcoal or other higher-emission fuels.
In greenhouse farming, geothermal heat can help maintain controlled conditions for crops. In dairy production, it can support pasteurisation. In aquaculture, heated ponds can improve production cycles. These uses are important because they connect clean energy directly to livelihoods rather than treating renewable power only as electricity for the national grid.
Kenya’s renewable energy ambitions are also attracting international finance. The country has continued to pursue investment in transmission infrastructure, green manufacturing and hydrogen-related opportunities, with the aim of strengthening grid stability and supporting the integration of cleaner electricity into the national system.
The Government of Kenya has also worked with international partners to explore the country’s green hydrogen potential. Its Green Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap identifies geothermal, wind, solar and hydropower resources as strategic assets for producing low-carbon fuels, fertilisers and industrial inputs. Supporters argue that this could reduce fertiliser import dependency, support food security and create new green jobs.
However, the expansion of green infrastructure is not without tension.
Along Kenya’s coast, some communities and environmental groups have warned that large infrastructure projects linked to energy, transport and industrial development could damage ecosystems if they are poorly planned or implemented without meaningful public participation. In areas such as Lamu and the wider coastal region, fishing communities depend on coral reefs, mangrove forests, seagrass beds and near-shore fishing grounds for food and income.
Residents fear that ports, pipelines, industrial facilities and associated infrastructure could disturb marine habitats, restrict access to fishing areas and place additional pressure on already fragile ecosystems. For artisanal fishermen, climate action is necessary, but it cannot be separated from the protection of the natural systems that sustain coastal livelihoods.
Environmental organisations have repeatedly argued that Kenya’s green transition must avoid the mistakes of earlier infrastructure models, where communities were consulted late, compensation was contested and ecological impacts were underestimated. They say renewable energy and green industrialisation should be assessed not only by carbon savings, but also by their effects on land, water, biodiversity and local rights.
This concern reflects a wider challenge facing many countries in the Global South. The transition away from fossil fuels requires new infrastructure, new investment and new industrial capacity. But if those projects are imposed on communities without safeguards, they risk reproducing the same inequalities that climate action is meant to address.
Community leaders along the coast have called for stronger participation in decision-making, transparent environmental and social impact assessments, and clear guarantees that development will not undermine fishing, tourism or biodiversity. Energy experts also warn that excluding local residents can create resistance to projects that might otherwise bring jobs, investment and long-term economic benefits.
For Kenya, the question is therefore not whether renewable energy should expand. The country’s exposure to climate shocks makes that expansion essential. The more difficult question is how it should expand, who benefits from it and how environmental costs are prevented before they become irreversible.
The country’s progress shows that renewable energy can do more than reduce emissions. It can improve public services, lower exposure to imported fuel prices, support agriculture, create industrial opportunities and strengthen community resilience. But it also shows that green development must be planned with the same care that climate science demands.
As Kenya positions itself as a clean energy leader in Africa, its experience may offer an important lesson for other countries facing the combined pressures of climate change, poverty, food insecurity and industrial development. Renewable infrastructure can become a powerful weapon against climate vulnerability, but only if it protects both the environment and the people who live closest to it.
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