President William Ruto has stirred public debate after disclosing that Kenya has been carrying out load shedding due to insufficient electricity generation.
Speaking in Doha, Qatar, during a meeting with Kenyans living there, the Head of State said the country has been forced to ration power in the evenings to balance limited supply with high demand.
“Between 5 pm and 10 pm, we have to do load shedding. We have to shut off some areas to be able to power others because our energy is not enough,” Ruto said.
The President compared Kenya’s power capacity to Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam, which has a total installed capacity of 5,150 MW, more than twice Kenya’s total production.
He said Kenya must invest in large-scale energy infrastructure to match its regional peers.
“Between 5pm and 10pm, we have to do load-shedding — shutting down power in some areas to supply others because our energy haitoshi.” — President William Ruto
A candid admission highlighting Kenya’s urgent need to expand power generation and energy infrastructure for a… pic.twitter.com/74S6HVRRUj — Kawangware Finest ™ - Geoffrey Moturi (@cbs_ke) November 4, 2025
“We were in Ethiopia to launch a dam. That one dam is generating two and a half times our whole power in Kenya. Si mnaona tuko na shida?” Ruto remarked. “We need about Sh1.2 trillion to do it. We will find the money to do it.”
His comments triggered widespread reactions online, with many Kenyans expressing surprise over the mention of load shedding.
“Whaaat? Load shedding in Kenya?” one user asked, while another wrote, “Who’s bright idea was it to turn off power during the night? Why not 11 pm to 3 am?”
Others offered suggestions, with some calling for tax exemptions on solar imports to reduce dependency on the national grid.
“Remove all tax on importation for all solar equipment. Hospitals and homes should be powered by solar,” one user wrote.
Some Kenyans, however, supported the President’s remarks, saying the national grid is outdated and needs urgent investment in renewable and efficient energy sources.
“Kenyan grid is outdated; we lose a lot of energy during transmission. Instead of dams, we should seek renewable energy since rain is becoming unreliable,” another commented.
What is load shedding?
Load shedding is a controlled process where electricity supply is deliberately turned off in parts of the grid to prevent a total system collapse. Power is rationed based on schedules that rotate outages across different areas, ensuring grid stability.
The practice, however, disrupts economic activity as businesses face lost production, equipment damage from power surges, and increased costs from relying on generators. It also affects essential services like healthcare and education, prompting many consumers to adopt alternative sources such as solar power.
A week ago, KenGen reported that Kenya’s electricity demand had reached a record high, with a peak of 2,411.98 MW and the highest-ever daily energy consumption of 44,122.60 MWh recorded on October 24, 2025.
According to the 2025 KNBS Economic Survey, Kenya’s installed electricity capacity stands at 3,235.5 MW, with an effective capacity of 3,107.8 MW. T
his figure does not account for transmission losses or the occasional unreliability of sources such as solar and wind, both of which contribute to intermittent shortages and the need for load management.
