Power generator, KenGen, will lead Kenya’s quest to become the third
country on the continent to tap nuclear energy in partnership with the Nuclear
Power and Energy Agency (NuPEA).
Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum, Opiyo Wandayi said on Monday that the plan aligns with President William Ruto’s call for Kenya to add about 10GW of electricity to propel the nation into a first-world economy.
According to him, the first nuclear development will be approximately 2GW, with plans to scale up to 6GW of nuclear capacity over time.
“This marks the beginning of Kenya’s nuclear-power era. Assigning KenGen the owner-operator role ensures the programme is anchored in strong technical capability, public trust, and long-term national interest.”
Under the MoU, KenGen and NuPEA will establish a Joint Working Group responsible for: developing a national communication and public-engagement strategy.
This includes mapping key stakeholder groups across all counties, implementing nationwide public education and media campaigns, and convening technical forums and expert dialogues.
KenGen MD, Peter Njenga, said the collaboration aligns with the company’s long-term plan to help the country transition to a diversified, secure, clean-energy system.
The partnership between KenGen and NuPEA is coming just two months after the government announced plans to set up a plant in Siaya.
Kenya’s proposed nuclear power plant is expected to generate more than 20,000 megawatts of electricity by 2040, positioning the country as a power-sufficient economy.
Speaking in Kakamega, NuPEA CEO, Justus Wabuyabo, said the project would transform Kenya’s energy sector and eliminate the power shortages currently being experienced.
The Siaya nuclear power plant will initially generate 1,000 megawatts before gradually expanding to 20,000 megawatts by 2040.
According to him, the facility will create over 10,000 jobs for Kenyan youth.
Once the Siaya plant becomes operational, the government plans to roll out additional nuclear facilities in Kilifi and Kwale counties.
It is also planning to introduce smaller nuclear units in every county through a new technology known as Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).
“With SMRs, we can establish compact nuclear power plants across all countries. This will guarantee sufficient electricity, support industrial growth, and drive economic transformation,” he said.
Early this year, NuPEA and the China Nuclear Engineering and Construction Corporation (CNECC) International signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that provides for collaboration in technical transfer in Nuclear energy implementation and development towards nuclear power programmes in Kenya.
It provides a framework to ensure Kenya’s nuclear agency benefits from the exchange of technical expertise in research and innovation, and enhances cooperation in the development of 19 nuclear infrastructure elements.
Currently, only one nuclear power station – the Koeberg plant near Cape Town in South Africa – is in operation on the whole African continent.
A Russian company, Rosatom, is in Egypt, with the first of four reactors set to come online in 2026. Uganda is also planning to set up a nuclear plant.
