Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) and Nation Media Group (NMG) have signed an agreement to jointly drive the uptake of clean energy in a bid to step up the country’s fight against the adverse effects of climate change.
The two firms signed a joint Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Monday, paving the way for a collaborative approach that will, among other things, scale up the uptake of clean energy and unlock the carbon credits market and technologies that drive climate-friendly agriculture, helping the country to tap into the global green economy.
“This collaboration marks the beginning of a powerful alliance between media and energy, one that will amplify the global conversation on clean energy, climate action, and sustainable development,” said NMG boss Geoffrey Odundo. “At Nation Media Group we believe that the future of media is not just about informing, it is about transforming. As a leading voice in East and Central Africa, we are proud to stand at the intersection of journalism, innovation and sustainability,” he added.
Mr Odundo noted that Kenya is a continental leader in renewable energy, with over 93 per cent of its electricity coming from clean sources like geothermal, hydro, wind and solar. KenGen produces nearly 70 per cent of the country’s electricity. Kenya has in the past few years stepped up efforts to combat fossil fuel pollution, get a bigger share of the carbon credits market and scale up generation of renewable energy.
KenGen is the leading producer of clean hydro power and geothermal energy, and is also spearheading Kenya’s entry into the global market of carbon credits trading.
“This MoU is not just about media collaboration. It is a strategic lever to power Kenya’s green economy and make it work for our young people,” said KenGen CEO, Peter Njenga.
The two companies will jointly host the 2025 Sustainable Energy Conference between September 17 and 19, where they will take stock of the progress and untapped opportunities in geothermal, wind and solar energy.
The two-day event, to be held in Naivasha, will also be key in driving policy conversations on how public-private partnerships can boost scaling up of clean energy in the face of climate change.
Mr Njenga added that the deal is critical to driving Kenya’s efforts of scaling up the generation and use of renewable energy and also tapping a bigger share of the global carbon credits market.
The firms will jointly train journalists to deepen their understanding and coverage of climate change issues and technology-based agriculture.
Kenya’s quest to deepen generation and use of renewable energy (hydro power, geothermal, wind and solar) fits into the global agenda to mitigate against adverse climate change tied to fossil-fuel pollution.
The country is also seeking to make revenue from the sale of carbon credits, as part of funding for climate-friendly projects. Kenya has over the past two years leveraged on existing forests, planting of trees and projects that are environmental friendly to tap revenue in the relatively new carbon trading market.
