Kenya - World Nuclear Outlook Report
Nuclear policy and outlook
In March 2026, President William Ruto announced a proposed 2000 MWe plant in Siaya County, with groundbreaking intended to start in 2027 and commissioning targeted for 2034. He also set an overall goal of 3000 MWe of nuclear capacity as part of plans to significantly increase power generation in Kenya over the next seven years. Previous plans were for 1000 MWe of nuclear capacity by 2035.
Kenya is planning to build its first research reactor at the Konza Technopolis technology hub, with construction planned to begin in 2027.
Table Ke.1 Contributions to total capacity projection in 2050 (gross)
| 60 year operation (MWe) | 80 year operation (MWe) | Currently under construction capacity (MWe) | Planned capacity (MWe) | Proposed capacity (MWe) | Potential capacity (MWe) | Government capacity target (MWe) | Additional capacity* required to meet government target (MWe) | Total capacity (MWe) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | - | 2000 | 3000 | 1000 | 3000 |
| *Capacity additional to operable, under construction, planned, proposed and potential capacities required to meet the government target. | ||||||||
Readiness Assessment
Kenya's plans grew in size during 2026, but the delivery timescale for these plans is not realistic.
| Country Category | Candidate |
|---|---|
| Policy Framework Readiness | Low-Moderate Kenya has strong presidential commitment, a national nuclear objective and a designated prospective owner-operator. Technology, financing, final siting and elements of the legal framework remain incomplete. |
| Institutional & Infrastructure Readiness | Low Kenya’s Nuclear Power & Energy Agency (NuPEA), Kenya Nuclear Regulatory Authority (KNRA) and majority (70%) state-owned utility KenGen provide the principal institutional structure, but Kenya has no practical nuclear energy experience, including a research reactor. Its first research reactor is planned to start construction in 2027. |
| Programme & Project Development Readiness | Low A 2000 MWe capacity concept at Siaya makes the project materially more identifiable than previously, but there is still no selected reactor or vendor. |
| Target Achievability | Low Deployment of nuclear in Kenya remains credible over the longer term, but 2000 MWe by 2034 and 3000 MWe on the government's current near-term expansion timetable are extremely challenging. |