Nairobi, Mombasa and North Eastern major electricity consumers

 

Nairobi region consumed 5,465.36 GWh during the period under review, representing a 10.09pc increase, equivalent to 501.02 GWh. [File, Standard]

Nairobi, the coastal region and the North Eastern areas remain the largest consumers of electrical energy in the country.

The latest statistics report by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority indicates that the Nairobi region remained the largest consumer, accounting for 43.92 per cent of the country’s total electricity consumption.

The region consumed 5,465.36 GWh during the period under review, representing a 10.09% increase, equivalent to 501.02 GWh, from the 4,964.34 GWh recorded in the previous year.

The report provides key statistics on the performance of electricity, petroleum, and renewable energy subsectors during the year 2025/26

Nairobi region, comprising Nairobi, Kiambu, Kajiado, Machakos, and Makueni counties, has a high concentration of population and industrial activity, which contributes significantly to its electricity demand.

According to EPRA, the Coastal region ranks second, with electricity consumption of 2,087.62 GWh, representing 17.74 per cent of the country’s total consumption.

This was an increase of 3.86%, equivalent to 77.56 GWh, from the 2,010.06 GWh consumed in the previous year.

The North Eastern region ranked third, consuming 1,411.66 GWh of electrical energy, equivalent to 11.34% of the country’s total consumption.

Electricity consumption in the region increased by 14.61%, from 1,231.66 GWh in the previous year.

The region covers Garissa, Wajir, Mandera, Marsabit, Kitui, Thika, and parts of Machakos.

The Central Rift region consumed 1,176.45 GWh during the period under review, accounting for 9.45% of total national electricity consumption.

This represented a 12.58% increase from the 1,044.91 GWh recorded in the previous year.

The region comprises Nakuru, Narok, Nyandarua, Kericho, Bomet, Baringo, and Samburu counties.

Mt Kenya region accounted for 6.54 per cent of total national electricity consumption, with consumption of 813.50 GWh. This represented an 8.94 per cent increase from the 746.76 GWh consumed in the previous year.

The region comprises Murang’a, Nyeri, Embu, Kirinyaga, Laikipia, parts of Marsabit, and parts of Meru.

West Kenya region consumed 655.14 GWh, representing 5.26 per cent of total national electricity consumption. This is a 9.90 per cent increase from the 596.11 GWh recorded in the previous year.

The region covers Kisumu, Kakamega, Vihiga, Siaya, Busia, and Bungoma counties.

While the North Rift region, covering Uasin Gishu, Nandi, Turkana, West Pokot, Elgeyo Marakwet, Bungoma, and parts of Trans Nzoia counties, recorded electricity consumption of 574.85 GWh, up from 515.44 GWh in the previous year, representing an 11.52% increase, the South Nyanza region recorded the lowest electricity consumption at 260.12 GWh, equivalent to 2.09% of total national consumption.

Consumption increased by 39.53 GWh from 220.49 GWh in the previous year, representing a 17.93% increase, which is the highest growth among all regions.

The report provides key statistics on the performance of electricity, petroleum, and renewable energy subsectors during the year 2025/26. [File, Standard]

The increase was attributed to the commissioning of the Sondu Ndhiwa Transmission line, which enhanced the reliability of electricity supply in the region.

Electricity access

In the period under review, the report indicates a total of 411,710 new customers were connected, bringing the cumulative grid-connected customers to 10,432,707. This was a marginal increase in new customer connections compared to the year ended June 2025, which recorded a total of 395,490 new connections.

Consumption by category

According to EPRA, electricity consumers are broadly classified into five categories, including large commercial and industrial, small commercial, domestic, street lighting, and electric mobility.

During the period under review, electricity consumption increased across all customer categories, with each category recording its highest consumption level to date.

Large commercial and industrial consumers remained the largest drivers of electricity consumption in Kenya.

These consumers are supplied at medium or high voltage, or at low voltage with monthly consumption exceeding 15,000 kWh.

The category includes large industries and manufacturing facilities, high-rise buildings, warehouses, and public infrastructure such as airports, ports, and railway stations.

Domestic consumers recorded the highest growth in electricity consumption among all customer categories, with consumption increasing by 18.87 per cent.

Consumption rose by 686.75 GWh, from 3,640.32 GWh in the previous year to 4,327.07 GWh in the year ended June 2026.

Domestic consumers accounted for 34.77 per cent of total electricity consumption, representing an increase of 264 basis points from 32.13 per cent in the previous year.

The growth was attributed to an increase in per capita electricity consumption and growth in the number of domestic customers.