Kenya Seeks Gulf Investors To Deliver 10,000MW By 2032

Kenya is considering public-private partnerships (PPPs) to expand its electricity generation capacity to 10,000 megawatts (MW) by 2032.

The East African nation also plans to use similar PPP arrangements for infrastructure and irrigation projects.

According to President William Ruto, the partnerships will play a key role in scaling up investment in power generation and modern infrastructure to support industrial growth and food security.

“Our talks focused on deepening investment partnerships in infrastructure and energy, including projects to expand Kenya’s energy generation capacity to 10,000 megawatts in the next seven years,” President Ruto said after meeting a United Arab Emirates (UAE) delegation in Nairobi on Monday.

“We are committed to strengthening our bilateral relations with the UAE through enhanced trade, investment, and economic cooperation under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), unlocking opportunities for growth, job creation, and shared prosperity,” he added.

The President noted that the initiative will include the development of 50 mega dams under PPP arrangements to boost irrigation and food production.

It would be recalled that President Ruto recently visited Qatar, where he cited Kenya’s limited power supply as a major constraint to attracting foreign direct investment, including the establishment of data centers that require at least 10,000 MW of reliable electricity.

Kenya’s installed capacity currently stands at 3,192 MW, according to data from the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA).

However, system losses in transmission and distribution averaged 23.36 percent in the year to June 2025—meaning nearly one in four units generated never reaches consumers.

The figures underscore the scale of the challenge ahead, as the country must not only triple its generation capacity but also significantly cut losses to meet future demand.

The government says its pivot to PPPs aims to mobilize private capital for new power plants and infrastructure while modernizing the national transmission grid to improve efficiency and reliability.

In November 2024, the administration signaled plans to explore alternative financing for the country’s aging power network following the cancellation of a Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO) deal with Indian-based conglomerate Adani Solutions.