NAIROBI, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Wednesday launched a campaign backed by multilateral lenders, green campaigners and industry to boost access to renewable energy including solar and wind among off-grid communities.
Dubbed "Power Up," the campaign that was launched ahead of the Africa Climate Summit, to be held in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi from Sept. 4 to 6, aims to enhance climate resilience in rural areas through access to clean energy.
Ali Mohamed, Climate Change advisor at the Kenyan presidency, said the "Power Up" campaign's launch reaffirmed Kenya's commitment to attaining universal access to clean energy by 2030 and hastening the green transition.
"Through this 'Power Up' campaign, we shall intensify provision of renewable energy sources to 30 percent of the population that is currently off-grid," Mohamed said.
He added that as Kenya gears up for the Africa Climate Summit, which will run parallel with Africa Climate Week in early September, there are concerted efforts to leverage clean energy technologies as a means to achieve net zero targets.
The population of Kenyan citizens with access to reliable and affordable forms of energy rose from 40 percent to 75 percent between 2013 and 2023, said Paul Mbuthi, a senior deputy director of Renewable Energy in the Ministry of Energy.
Mbuthi said that the enactment of a National Energy Policy in 2018, combined with regulatory incentives, has set the stage for massive resource mobilization to bridge access gaps in remote outposts that are on the frontline of the climate crisis.
Besides enhancing climate resilience, accelerated access to clean cooking and lighting will boost action on indoor air pollution, which claims an estimated 23,000 Kenyans annually, Mbuthi said.
Brian Omenyi, the coordinator of Sustainable Energy Access Forum Kenya, a green lobby, stressed that investments in off-grid solar solutions for households will tackle energy poverty, transform rural livelihoods and boost ecosystems' health.
Olufunso Somorin, the regional principal officer at Africa Development Bank (AfDB), said Kenya should channel a significant portion of climate financing toward projects in agriculture, manufacturing, water and transport sectors as part of climate resilience building.
Somorin added that for Kenya to sustain the green energy revolution, it was imperative for the government to provide tax rebates to manufacturers of off-grid clean energy technologies. ■