The Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO) has reaffirmed its role in driving food security, green growth, and regional integration, highlighting major investments in transmission infrastructure that are enabling climate-smart agriculture and powering economic transformation.
At the ongoing Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK), Mombasa International Show 2025, the KETRACO is showcasing its contribution to agro-industrial zones, irrigation schemes, and post-harvest storage, saying reliable electricity is now central to agricultural resilience.
“Climate-smart agriculture requires smart power. We are not just building transmission lines, we are energizing Kenya’s transformation,” said General Manager, System Operation and Power Management (SSOPM) Eng. Kipkemoi Kibias.
KETRACO has completed 43 transmission line projects across the country (as of May 2025), with another batch of 29 due for commissioning between 2025 and 2028.
The company has built 6,015 kilometers of high-voltage circuit lines, 46 substations and 33 bay extensions, providing a combined transformation capacity of 6,487 MVA.
Kibias said this backbone infrastructure is supplying the stable and efficient electricity required to support Kenya’s rapidly expanding economy.
Kibias, who is also Acting Managing Director, noted that the grid is already powering irrigation schemes, food processing hubs and cold chain facilities, enabling farmers and industries to adapt to climate change.
In the Coast region, extension of the Green Energy Backbone has delivered renewable power, 93 per cent of it from clean sources, cutting reliance on expensive thermal generation. This has supported coastal agribusinesses, reduced post-harvest losses and powered logistics, tourism, and the blue economy.
The official said national investments in grid upgrades, digital monitoring and smart components are aimed at matching rising demand with reliable supply while integrating new renewable sources.
“Kenya is not on the brink of a crisis; we are on the edge of a breakthrough. KETRACO is expanding capacity, building resilience and preparing the grid for a high-growth future,” Eng. Kibias said.
Regionally, the company is advancing interconnectors that position Kenya as a hub for East African power trade. The Projects include the 500kV Eastern Electricity Highway with Ethiopia, the 400kV Kenya–Tanzania line, and the 400kV Lessos–Tororo link with Uganda.
These lines allow Kenya to import and export affordable electricity while strengthening the East African Power Pool.
“Our regional links don’t just move power, they move economies. Power trade is the new frontier of African integration, and KETRACO is at the center of this transformation,” Eng. Kibias added.
