Kenya Power taps World Bank loan to roll out prepaid meters in off-grid push
What's the deal? Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) has secured a World Bank loan to procure single-phase prepaid meters and miniature circuit breakers as part of the Kenya Off-Grid Solar Access Project (KOSAP). The utility confirmed the financing through a public tender notice on May 5, though neither KPLC nor the National Treasury disclosed the loan amount.
The procurement will follow the World Bank's international competitive bidding rules, with a deadline of May 16 for bids.
KOSAP is a government flagship initiative designed to bring electricity and clean cooking solutions to underserved communities across 14 counties. These counties cover 72% of Kenya's landmass but hold only 20% of its population, including Turkana, Marsabit, Mandera, Wajir, and Garissa.
The project aims to connect between 1.3 million and 1.58 million people through 114 to 121 mini-grids, 250,000 solar home systems, and up to 150,000 clean cooking units. Schools, health centres, and administrative offices are also being electrified, alongside solar-powered water pumps for community boreholes.
Why now? President William Ruto's administration has set an ambitious target of universal electricity access by 2030, with a nearer-term goal of illuminating over one million additional homes and industries by 2026. The World Bank loan accelerates the infrastructure rollout needed to hit those milestones in some of Kenya's most remote regions.
What could go wrong? The exact loan figure remains undisclosed, raising transparency questions. Deploying meters and circuit breakers across vast, sparsely populated counties — many with limited roads and infrastructure — poses significant logistical challenges. Past rural electrification efforts in East Africa have faced delays from procurement bottlenecks, supply-chain issues, and community adoption hurdles.
The signal: The deal reflects a broader trend of multilateral development banks backing decentralised energy solutions in Sub-Saharan Africa, where grid extension alone cannot reach every household economically. Off-grid solar and mini-grid models are increasingly seen as the fastest path to universal access. For Kenya, which already generates most of its electricity from renewables, the bet is that pairing clean generation with smart metering infrastructure can close the last-mile gap — and potentially serve as a template for neighbouring markets chasing similar goals.
Read more: kenyans.co.ke
