(Ecofin Agency) - The expensive electricity costs in Kenya could slow the achievement of universal access to energy, World Bank indicates. “Affordability is potentially an issue not only for countries working toward universal access but also for countries that have already achieved it. Estimates suggest that in countries working toward universal access, affordability affects 57% of those who already have access,” the bank’s report - Tracking SDG7 : The Energy Progress report 2018- shows.

In this document that focuses on global achievements in energy sector, World Bank welcomed Kenya whose development in that sector is one of the most rapid within the developing countries. Between 2014 and 2016, the country’s electrification rate surged by more than 5% annually, alongside Ethiopia and Tanzania.

For the record, Kenya’s goal, through its Last-Mile program, is to connect all citizens by 2020. In this wake, the country has already boosted the electrification rate to 71% from 27% in 2013.

Gwladys Johnson Akinocho