Cleaner cooking, e-mobility drive Kenya’s rising energy demand
Kenya is seeing a significant rise in the consumption of LPG and electricity as households shift away from traditional fuels like firewood. Government initiatives, including subsidized gas cylinders and infrastructure expansion, are driving this transition to cleaner energy.
Why it matters
The shift reflects a broader regional effort to improve public health and environmental sustainability while managing energy infrastructure demands.
Mohamed Birik, Secretary Administration in the State Department for Petroleum (C) with EPRA and other government officials during the launch of the energy and petroleum annual statistics report in Nairobi/ HANDOUT
Growth in cooking gas use, electricity and petroleum products has driven growth in Kenya’s energy sector, piling pressure on infrastructure development and supply reliability.
Latest data by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), released on Tuesday, shows LPG use rose 14.62 per cent to 475,943 metric tonnes in the six months to June 2026.
This has lifted per capita consumption (the average amount used by a single person, per year) from 7.9 kilogrammes to 8.9 kilogrammes.
The growth highlights increasing uptake of cleaner cooking energy as households, institutions and businesses gradually move away from traditional fuels such as firewood and charcoal.
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