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Kenya: Why It’s Time to Start Decarbonising the Economy

Published

4 years ago

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Africa’s contribution to global warming is insignificant but it bears the brunt of the effects of climate change. About 90 percent of Lake Chad is gone. Both Mt Kenya and Mt Kilimanjaro have lost over 70 percent of their glaciers within a century due to climate change.

Kenya is currently in the midst of a devastating drought, especially in the north, and we can already see the socio-economic consequences of climate change as communities fight for scarce resources.

Africa, and Kenya in particular, must of course be at the forefront of reducing carbon emissions. We cannot, for example, afford to be left behind in the ongoing transition from fossil fuels to green energy. Participating in efforts to decarbonise the economy is a must if we are to avert the effects of climate change.

Yet all indications are that by 2050, a short 30 years from now, Africa will be behind the rest of the world in transitioning to clean energy. The biggest challenge is in the transport sector. Many developed countries have set deadlines for ceasing or drastically reducing production of internal combustion engines. Some countries like Norway already have more electric than petrol vehicles.

Fossil fuel-based engines are major pollutants. But there is a danger: old petrol and diesel vehicles may be dumped in Africa, where there is lax regulation. It is unlikely that fossil fuel use will disappear completely. Powerful oil companies may hang around in Africa, where revenue from oil will remain important in national development plans.

Ironically, Africa has the potential to supply terawatts of clean energy from solar, hydro, wind, nuclear and geothermal sources.

With the right policies, countries like Kenya could be global leaders in clean energy. The fact that about 70 percent of our grid energy is already green makes this even more feasible.

Kenya is endowed with renewable energy sources: hydroelectricity, geothermal, wind and solar. We can ride on the current international goodwill driving the momentum for transitioning from fossil fuel to green energy.

This is the most fitting time so solidify our comparative advantage on renewable energy more so that President Joe Biden has declared his (financial) support for green energy projects globally.

But for this to happen, the government must to be serious about streamlining the energy sector.

We must lower the cost of electricity that has now become a burden to both industry and common consumers. This can only be done through pro-poor energy policies.

Cheap electricity should be treated as a basic human right.

The biggest problem is that Kenyan governments at best treat the energy sector as a commercial engagement with a linear profit or loss-making analysis. At worst, which is mostly the case, the sector is a paradise for tenderpreneurs and graft princes and princesses.

Noticeably, in the recent financial bill of health for State-owned enterprises, Kenya Power is not categorised among those ‘with a strong social mandate’. It is simply a loss/profit-making business.

The energy sector offers easy opportunities for slush funds to run the political machine. How can cheap green electricity be used to fight climate change?

Crucially, if those who run the government were motivated by public rather than private interests, the government would not need to brutally tax clean energy fuels to the detriment of consumers and the economy.

If the purpose of the astronomical taxation electrical power is to meet budgetary needs, there are other means to generate revenue.

To me, to decarbonise the economy, the government should not lower fossil fuel taxes. What should be made almost free is electricity. If it is about climate, there are painful choices to be made.

Let there be efficient bus rapid transport (BRT) systems in major cities.

Let as many people as possible use electricity to cook, to drive machines. Even to cultivate their land. Grid power is not just for lighting. The majority of people use firewood, charcoal and kerosene because they do not have cheaper alternatives.

While use of biomass fuel is itself green, it has a serious impact on forests and health because of the inefficient cooking technology in Africa. According to the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, about 500,000 people in Africa die annually due to kitchen air pollution. Most of these are women.