Makueni County possesses abundant renewable energy resources, including solar, wind, and biomass, yet continues to face energy poverty due to the limited utilization of these readily available resources. Further, the lack of access to clean, affordable and reliable energy sources limits economic development and heavily contributes to poor health due to overreliance on traditional biomass.
Despite this, the devolution of energy functions to the counties has presented several opportunities for Makueni. The County can now develop plans, policies, regulations, and institutional frameworks that promote clean, affordable, and sustainable energy use across the region. It is in this light that the Government of Makueni commissioned the development of the Makueni County Energy Policy.
The draft Makueni County Energy Policy was presented on 15th May 2025 to county officials representing various departments, including the offices of the County Attorney, Devolution, Education and Internship, Energy, Finance, Gender, Health, Lands and Environment, Livestock, Trade, and Youth. The presentation, led by the Chief Officer for Energy under the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Public Works, and Energy, outlined the policy’s overarching goal and its eight core objectives.
The overarching goal of the policy is to ensure access to sustainable, adequate, affordable, competitive, secure, and reliable modern energy that meets the needs of the people of Makueni County. The objectives include:
~To strengthen legal and institutional frameworks to promote clean, sustainable energy infrastructure development.
~To promote sustainable development and the use of renewable energy resources and related infrastructure.
~To achieve universal electricity and clean cooking access for all Makueni residents.
~To support national government efforts toward the development and operation of a sustainable energy sector and secure energy supply.
~To encourage growth of Productive Use of Energy (PUE), emphasizing renewable energy for socio-economic transformation in Makueni County.
~To promote adoption of Energy Efficiency and Conservation measures in Makueni County.
~To mobilize financing and resources for the implementation of energy projects and programs in Makueni County.
~To mainstream environmental and social safeguards, ensuring climate-resilient livelihoods in the energy sector.
During the presentation, Dr. Geoffrey Muthoka, Chief Officer for Environment, emphasized that achieving sustainable utilization has been a persistent challenge in Makueni, particularly in balancing conservation with resource use. He expressed hope that the new policy will provide clear guidance for future decision-making in the environmental sector.
Jane Makau, Director of Gender, raised concerns about how the policy will address time poverty among women, particularly the hours spent collecting fuel, a burden that, if reduced, could enable women to participate in more productive and income-generating activities.
This policy represents the Government of Makueni’s commitment to promoting legal, regulatory and institutional reforms, including leveraging private sector investment, and support from donor partners to address these challenges through scaling of affordable, reliable and energy access solutions for all.
Feedback from various county officials will be consolidated and incorporated into the draft policy. Following this, the team will prepare for a series of public participation forums scheduled to take place later in the month across the sub-counties of Kaiti, Kibwezi East, Kibwezi West, Kilome, Makueni, and Mbooni.
The development of the Makueni County Energy Policy is supported by the UK Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (UK PACT), a programme funded by the Government of the United Kingdom.
Article written by Anne Njeri, Communications Officer, Strathmore Energy Research Centre
