Kenya is a regional leader in the green energy transition and has made significant progress in developing a sustainable energy system by utilizing geothermal and hydro energy resources. Today, 90 percent of the country’s electricity is produced by renewable energy sources and Kenya aims to reach 100 percent by 2030.
Despite this progress, the energy sector faces two key challenges: affordability and reliability. At the same time, electricity only accounts for 5 percent of the total energy consumption in Kenya, but the demand for electricity is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years.
The Kenya-Denmark Energy Partnership (KENDEP) addresses these challenges by strengthening Kenyan capacity within three focus areas:
- Long-term energy planning
- Integration of variable renewable energy
- Energy efficiency and green industrialization
This approach builds on Denmark’s long-standing experience and expertise in green transition, enabling peer-to-peer dialogue, expert exchanges, and knowledge transfer between Danish and Kenyan energy authorities.
Through KENDEP, Danish and Kenyan partners collaborate on modelling least-cost pathways for power sector development, improving power system operations, advancing electricity market reforms, strengthening regulatory frameworks, and promoting energy efficiency and electrification of the industrial sector. The partnership emphasizes building institutional capacity to ensure sustainable, long-term impact, supporting Kenya’s ambition to meet growing energy demand with renewable energy while ensuring affordability and reliability.
Cooperation between Danish and Kenyan authorities
Denmark and Kenya have cooperated on the energy sector development since 2022. First as a Strategic Sector Cooperation (SSC) from 2022. In 2025, the cooperation was expanded to the Kenya-Denmark Energy Partnership (KENDEP) between the Danish Energy Agency and the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum in Kenya.
The programme is implemented in collaboration with the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as several Kenyan authorities and institutions including EPRA, Kenya Power, KETRACO and KenGen.
To facilitate cooperation, a sector counsellor on energy is posted at the Danish Embassy in Nairobi, while three long-term advisors are stationed in the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum. KENDEP is currently financed until the end of 2029.