How Kenyan villages are flipping the switch and taking control of their own electricity
In Kenya, Benson Maroro is lighting up the lives of people who reside around Lake Victoria. This is Africa’s largest freshwater body, and its riches are essential to the country’s economy. Yet despite the immense resources found here, locals continue to experience poverty. “Only 56% of Kenyans have access to electricity,” Maroro says. Most settlements around the lake rely on fishing for income, but the absence of power makes it difficult for people to keep their stock fresh, forcing them to sell their catch at significantly cheaper prices. To improve their livelihoods, Maroro is implementing solar grids through the non-profit organisation Renewable World.
“It is important to provide impoverished communities with power because clean energy sources are an impetus to development,” Maroro says. As a technical project manager, he has installed and managed several solar microgrids in fishing villages. “Without the use of electricity, they are forced to rely on diesel generators, kerosene, and candles,” Maroro says. This has been linked to health conditions including asthma, and respiratory infections due to their toxic fumes. Solar power is not just healthier for the environment, but its residents too. With their physical well being secured, the next step is using clean energy to bolster the local economy.
The compact systems are owned by the communities and serve surrounding homes and businesses by storing and distributing energy. Through local organisations, some residents receive technical and financial training, allowing them to take the power into their own hands. Today, over 1 700 people have access to electricity and the region has reported a 20% increase in their income. “When you provide communities with a source for clean energy, you empower the entire community to uplift their life,” Maroro says.
You can support the work of Renewable World here.
Footage and images by Renewable World were used in the creation of this film.
