Claim: Kenya’s national electricity grid mix is 92% green.
Verdict: TRUE. Kenya’s national electricity grid mix comprises 92% green (renewable) components, as claimed by President William Ruto.
Full Text
The New Global Financial Pact summit, recently held in Paris, France, got world leaders together to deliberate on the future and the global impact of climate change. How much has been invested, what has been done, where the world is and what needs to be done were at the centre of all conversations.
Participants did not only talk about climate change. They also discussed future financing as well as the source of funding. Priorities were given to vulnerable countries. Due to previous commitments to climate change, the event also provided opportunities for leaders to announce any landmark achievement their countries have attained.
On the sideline of the summit, Kenyan president, William Ruto, addressed a jubilant youth on climate change and financing. During his speech, he claimed that 92% of Kenya’s national electricity grid is green.
President Ruto shared this speech on Twitter, generating over 650,000 engagements. The claim was made from around one minute and fifty-four seconds of the almost five minutes video.
Besides accolades like this one, another comment disagreed with the president’s assertion. An example is a comment by Abraham (@Abraham) here which described President Ruto as a good liar.
Due to the relevance of climate change and varying comments on the subject, DUBAWA fact-checked the claim.
Verification
We checked with available data to establish the energy sources through which Kenya currently generates its electricity and found a 2019 USAID publication which says the country develops its power from hydro, geothermal, thermal, wind, solar and biomass.
Another publication here by the International Trade Administration says as of 2021, Kenya’s energy mix was predominantly green, and the component stood at 81% of the total mix.
As we checked further, we found that the green energy component of Kenya’s total energy grid mix as of June 2022 was an average of 90.5 per cent, according to the annual report of KENYA POWER. This company owns and operates most of the country’s electricity transmission and distribution system). This information is contained on page 43 of the document.
The 2021 report published by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) also shows that the renewable components of the country’s national grid mix are 92.3%.
For clarity purposes, here is a description of the national grid regarding electricity and what it means for energy to be described as green. Green energy can also be described as clean energy or renewable energy.
Conclusion
The claim by Kenyan President William Ruto that his country’s national electricity grid is 92% green is true, as shown by available data.
