Three out of every four Kenyans now have access to electricity, a landmark achievement that places the nation well ahead of its regional peers. Yet, as the lights flicker on across the Rift Valley and the Coast, a thicker cloud of smoke remains: the vast majority of these same households still rely on firewood and charcoal to cook their next meal.

The National Assembly Departmental Committee on Energy confirmed the new statistics this week, revealing that national connectivity has surged to approximately 75 percent. This represents a dramatic leap from just 30 percent in 2014, driven largely by the aggressive rollout of the Last Mile Connectivity Project.

“We have moved from a country in the dark to a regional powerhouse in under a decade,” the Committee noted in its review of the sector’s performance. “However, connectivity is only half the battle. Access does not yet equal utility for the common mwananchi.”

The Connectivity Paradox

While the 75 percent figure is a cause for celebration, the Committee’s report uncovers a stark disparity between lighting and living. For millions of Kenyans, electricity is a luxury reserved for charging phones and lighting a single bulb, not for heavy-duty tasks like cooking.

Data indicates that while the grid has reached the doorsteps of the rural poor, it has not entered their kitchens. Approximately 69 percent of Kenyan households still depend on traditional biomass—wood, charcoal, and agricultural waste—for cooking. This reliance persists even in homes with active power connections, primarily due to the prohibitive cost of electricity and electric appliances.

“The wire is there, but the wallet is not,” explained an energy analyst in Nairobi. “When a rural household’s average monthly electricity bill is just KES 217, it tells you they are rationing every kilowatt. They cannot afford to boil beans on an electric coil.”

Closing the Last Mile

The push to bridge the remaining 25 percent gap—mostly in arid and semi-arid lands—is intensifying. The government has allocated significant funds to the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC) to extend the grid to these marginalized areas.

• Current Access: ~75% (National), up from 30% in 2014.
• The Gap: ~25% of the population, primarily in rural and off-grid areas.
• Cooking Reality: 69% of households still use biomass (wood/charcoal).
• Funding: Over KES 1.6 billion allocated recently for Last Mile projects in specific counties.

Recent funding injections, including a KES 10.3 billion allocation for the Mt. Kenya region and further support from the African Development Bank, aim to connect the final frontier of households. However, the cost of infrastructure in these sparsely populated regions is significantly higher, raising questions about the financial sustainability of universal access without heavy subsidies.

The Health Cost of 'Dirty' Cooking

The continued reliance on biomass is not just an economic issue; it is a public health crisis. The Ministry of Health has long warned that household air pollution from smoky jikos contributes to thousands of premature deaths annually, disproportionately affecting women and children.

The Energy Committee emphasized that achieving the Vision 2030 goal of universal access requires a two-pronged approach: expanding the grid and making clean cooking solutions—like LPG and modern electric pressure cookers—affordable. Without this, the “75 percent” statistic remains a hollow victory for the mother coughing over a three-stone fire.

“We must stop measuring success solely by the number of transformers installed,” the Committee concluded. “True success is when a Kenyan family can cook dinner without choking on smoke.”