Seven Kenyan counties have electricity access below 20%
Electricity is the first layer of connectivity. If a household cannot charge a phone, mobile coverage means little. So I mapped electricity access for every county using the 2019 Population and Housing Census.
The counties below 20%
7 counties fall under 20%: Turkana (8.8%), West Pokot (11.9%), Wajir (14.6%), Mandera (15.8%), Samburu (16.1%), Marsabit (16.3%) and Tana River (17.4%). Turkana is the lowest of all. Every one of them also ranks 40th or lower out of 47 on my composite score, so the two problems travel together.
The counties at the top
Nairobi (96.7%), Kiambu (91.9%), Mombasa (83.4%) and Nyeri (66.4%) lead the country. The national figure on the map is 38.7%. Only 24 of 47 counties reach it.
What this means for mini grids
The map also carries a mini grid layer from the ENERGYDATA.INFO registry, with existing sites, sites under development and KOSAP pipeline sites. I built it so you can see where grid lines stop and where small solar systems start to matter. Counties such as Turkana, Wajir and Mandera are where that question is sharpest.
A caution on the numbers
The census figure dates from 2019. Connections will have changed since then, so read these percentages as a 2019 snapshot. I update the layer as new county data is released.
Open the electricity layer on the map to see the transmission lines and mini grid sites. For internet use alongside power, read internet use in Kenya by county.
Frequently asked questions
Which Kenyan county has the lowest electricity access?
Turkana, at 8.8% in the 2019 census data used on the map.
Which county has the highest electricity access in Kenya?
Nairobi, at 96.7%, followed by Kiambu (91.9%) and Mombasa (83.4%).
Explore the data
Open the interactive map or browse all 47 counties. County data is on the data page.