For a country that generates nearly
90 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources, Kenya remains trapped in
an expensive dependence on imported fossil fuels.
Every year, billions of shillings
leave the economy to pay for petrol, diesel and coal, while taxpayers shoulder
the cost of fuel subsidies whenever global prices spike. This is neither
economically prudent nor strategically sustainable.
The latest report should serve as a
wake-up call. It challenges the seductive but flawed argument that oil
extraction will rescue Kenya from its debt burden.
The numbers tell a different
story.
The country’s greatest wealth lies not beneath its soil, but in its
ability to innovate, manufacture and harness its abundant renewable energy
resources.
The transition away from fossil
fuels must, however, be deliberate and carefully managed. It should protect
livelihoods while redirecting public investment towards clean energy,
climate-smart agriculture, green manufacturing and the digital economy.
These sectors
promise jobs, resilience and long-term economic stability.
Kenya has already demonstrated
continental leadership in renewable electricity. What has been missing is the
political courage to align fiscal policy, industrial development and energy
planning with that reality.
The question is no longer whether
Kenya can afford to transition from fossil fuels. It is whether it can afford
not to.
Quote of the Day: “Anything is better than stagnation.” —British author Arthur Conan Doyle, who brought Sherlock Holmes to life twice, died on July 7, 1930
