Yasmin left her job, working for the Red Cross as a Sexual & Gender Based Violence Coordinator, to go and work in Marsabit county government because she felt “that taking into account the illiteracy level I needed to give back to my community. …I thought there was a lot that could be achieved”. Yasmin won’t say how old she is but assures us that she is over 18. In Northern Kenya, where cultural stereotypes about men being superior still […]

Categories: Solar

Teddy’s on a mission to train up female solar technicians right across Kenya. A capacity building program with USAID and Arizona State University saw Teddy travelling to local institutions across the country to train up county technical colleges and universities on how to install solar. A recent study carried out by the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) had found that of 300 solar installations only 10% were still functioning after a few months. The problems with the […]

Categories: Solar

Judith is a successful “solar preneur”, heading a solar business which spans three shops, five villages and employs a growing number of employees. Now a local success story, she started out as a smallholder farmer. A single mother of three once she left school she grew maize and raised chickens to support her family. It was not until local Agricultural Officers recommended her for training program that she put down the hoe and picked up the pen. Judith was selected […]

Categories: Solar

Pauline has a track record of working for organisations, which are using innovative technology to solve Kenya’s key challenges. After five years with MPesa, Kenya’s celebrated mobile money system, Pauline moved to MKopa, a company making solar affordable for off-grid Kenyans. When asked why MKopa was her next move Pauline says  “(Mpesa) hooked me on wanting to do work that made a difference , after 5 years of bringing change into peoples lives, meeting the individuals and hearing how technology has […]

Categories: Solar

Caroline is known as the “Radio Queen” in Kenya, a household name, she has presented flagship shows on both of the Capital’s top radio stations. She is now COO of the Radio Africa Group which encompasses 5 stations, a TV channel and a newspaper. Carol is working hard to ensure that radio remains relevant to Kenyans who now get their news via whatsapp and listen to their music on their mobiles rather than their favourite radio DJ. Caroline has used […]

Categories: Solar

For Elizabeth accessing electricity is about “equalizing” society. After working for nine years at the Rural Electrification Authority (REA) she is invested in bringing power to communities far from the urban centres. REA’s “pet project” has been the electrification of Kenya’s primary schools, after an intense drive this now stands at 98% across the country. Closely tied to this is the “One lap top per child” program, a much publicized campaign which aims to equip every school child with a […]

Categories: Solar

  Khilna believes “there’s huge potential for solar in the long run”. With excellent solar resources, ie plenty of sunshine, Kenya has the opportunity for cleaner, greener energy which will also bring the cost of power down. Khilna develops power plants which serve renewable energy up to Kenya’s national grid. The CEO of Kenergy Renewables, her flagship project is a solar power grid in Laikipia, approximately 2 to 3 hours North West of Nairobi. When completed the project will have […]

Categories: Solar

Naomi had never heard of a solar hybrid mini grid before it was set up in her town but it has changed her life and source of livelihood. A solar minigrid is small solar power plant that is able to support a community, independently of the national power grid. These plants, set up by private companies, offer electricity for remote towns which are not served by the national power company. Naomi grew up in Nairobi but she moved to the […]

Categories: Solar

  Carol is convinced that it is big business, the industrial players, that are really going to make the difference for renewable energy in Kenya. She and her organization, African Solar Designs, recently won a grant from Powering Agriculture, an innovation challenge addressing the link between agricultural production and clean energy. Carol aims to bring solar energy to the flower producers in the country, a business which makes billions of Kenya shillings every year. Flowers are exported in vast quantities […]

Categories: Solar