In far flung villages planted beyond the reach of regular power lines, an increasing number of communities are enjoying the benefits of having electricity in their homes and businesses thanks to the sun shining down on them. This is the power of solar mini grids.

In December 2020, Amos Ndumos and I travelled to Busia, Siaya, Kisii, Nyamira and Kajiado Counties on an assignment for the Green Mini Grid Facility Kenya which supports the development of mini grids by the private sector in Kenya. The facility is funded by UKAid and the European Union with the French Development Agency (AFD) as the implementing organization.

All photographs in this blog belong to IED which is the lead consultant of GMG.

During the visits we saw how solar mini grids are transforming the lives of thousands of Kenyans.

Prior to this, I thought solar had only enough power to run small electrical appliances like TVs and radios… I was in for a huge shocker.

Kudura Power : Energising Busia

The first project we visited is run by KUDURA Power East Africa in Busia, at Kenya’s border with Uganda. In a land filled with lush vegetation and sky hugging trees that stretch from the beaches of Sango past the banks of Sio, the sun brandishes a bright smile that warmly kisses KUDURA Power’s solar panels, bringing much needed electricity in Busia.

Buyende Village

We started at KUDURA Power installation in Buyende Village, where 400 clients within a 1 kilometre radius of their solar mini grid facility are already connected.

Robert Okello, an engineer with KUDURA Power East Africa.

When there, we also met Engineer Julius Mangeni performing some regular maintenance checks on the panels and batteries.

One of KUDURA’s clients is Joseph Makokha. Being connected to KUDURA’s mini grid has allowed him to pump water from a borehole on his land for irrigation and pig rearing.

Using electricity is a cost-efficient way when compared to diesel.

Bernard Juma takes care of the pigs at Joseph Makokha’s farm.

Imprezza Academy

A few minutes drive from Joseph’s farm, we stopped at Imprezza Academy, a private school in Busia, to see how electricity is transforming learning for the school’s pupils and teachers.

The school hosts and is connected to the local KUDURA Power East Africa mini grid.

Cynthia Risper in class at Imprezza Academy. Because of Covid-19 restrictions, only the fourth formers were in class.

Karen Makokha, Delphine Achieng’ and Cynthia Risper are fourth formers at Imprezza Academy. Having electricity in their school has allowed them to have evening preps so they can study for longer.

For Naphtali Onyango, a teacher at Imprezza Academy, being connected to the KUDURA mini grid helps him use a computer and printer to set exams.

Sidonge Village Origins

KUDURA Power East Africa started operations in 2011 with a mini grid installation in Sidonge Village. From here, they’ve grown from village to village, house to house, making more than three thousand connections along the way.

We paid a visit to their first mini grid in Sidonge.

Here, residents have continued to benefit from the KUDURA connection.

The first person we spoke to was Christopher Allan Kaudo who sells cold drinks at his family’s kiosk in Sidonge.

The mercury meniscus slides between 30 and 35 Celsius on a good day in Sidonge. Having cold drinks means Allan is able to sell more than neighbouring kiosks.

The above image was shot by placing my camera at the bottom of the freezer and using an app to trigger it.

This is Sidonge Community Library which is also connected to the KUDURA mini grid.

Librarian Ashley Winslet says that having electricity has allowed her to use a computer for more effective administrative work.

For Sylvester Baraza who has a passion for grooming, opening a barber shop in Sidonge was like a dream come true. He is able to earn a living through his passion.

Even when darkness falls, Sylvester is able to continue with his passion, thanks to having electricity from KUDURA.

As part of service to the residents of Sidonge, KUDURA set up street lighting in Sidonge Village allowing residents to move freely even after sunset.

Hata giza likiingia, kuna nuru gizani.

Renewvia : Empowering Homes and Businesses on Ndeda Island.

From Busia, we drove East and spent the night in Bondo. Early the following morning, we made our way to Uyawi Beach where we left our car and caught a boat to Ndeda Island.

Kofia ninayo. Nangoja tu ambassadorship sasa.

Ndeda Island

Ndeda is a small island within Siaya County. It has less than 3,000 inhabitants. Until 2018, the only power the residents had was kerosene, disposable batteries and petrol which had to be brought in by boat from the main land.

Today, thanks to the work Renewvia is doing here using the sun’s energy, residents have a reliable and clean source of electricity.

The first thing you notice when you get to Ndeda Island are birds on power lines.

Lots and lots of birds…

Even the solar panels play host to the birds.

It’s not only the birds that are benefitting from what Renewvia are doing on Ndeda Island. Businessmen like Elijah Abonyo Obondo who runs Ndeda’s leading multi-purpose groceries shop is a major beneficiary.

I call it multi-purpose because not only does he sell cold drinks like soda and yoghurt…

…he also runs a phone charging service.

A couple of hundred metres from Elijah’s shop, we met Margaret Juma Omiti drying fish outside her home.

Being connected to the Renewvia mini grid has allowed her to keep updated with her favourite local TV show – Maria and updated with other local and international programming.

For those without TVs at home or interested in watching hits from Nollywood and Hollywood, there is a video hall on Ndeda Island.

Two different movies were showing when we arrived, both with sound at full blast at the same time. The mind is a powerful tool I tell you. I was actually able to follow a few minutes of an action movie while totally ignoring the romantic comedy being screened to the right.

Remember me saying I thought solar was for small appliances like TVs and radios? Meeting Felix Onyango Adoka fixing a customer’s wheelbarrow using solar power changed that.

Prior to this, I didn’t think solar would generate enough power to be used for welding…

…or grinding. I am now fully convinced!

We continued our tour of Ndeda Island to see who else we would find benefiting from being connected to Renewvia’s mini grid.

Samuel Otieno is one of the most entrepreneurial youths we met. He is just in his mid 20s, but runs two businesses with skills and finesse that have earned him the admiration of entrepreneurs twice his age. At the front of his premises is a barber shop where he keeps the men on Ndeda Island well groomed.

At the back, he has a cyber cafe where customers like Alphonse Wasonga receive help with desktop publishing, typing and printing.

One of the public service facilities that has really benefited from being connected to the Renewvia mini grid is Ndeda Dispensary.

We met Arnold Wariadho (R) attending to Houstone Leakey there.

Having electricity has allowed the dispensary to open late, so residents with medical emergencies can still be attended to at night with the urgency they deserve.

We also got to visit the Renewvia Facility. This is where the birds were perched on the solar panels in the earlier photos.

I took the opportunity to make a portrait of George Opio Ochieng’ of Renewvia. He is the face of Renewwvia on Ndeda Island.

Oyamo Island

From Ndeda Island, we strapped on our life vests, took our seats and cruised to Oyamo Island, about 10 minutes from Ndeda. Renewvia plan to connect the residents of Oyamo to a mini grid facility that should be commissioned later this year.

This is the site for the planned mini grid.

Homes and businesses have been connected, all that awaits is arrival of the solar panels and batteries and Oyamo Island will no longer be in left the dark.

Golden hues hugging the skies above Lake Victoria reminded us we needed to return to Ndeda to capture some evening shots. And so we did.

We met Victoria cutting up vegetables for a client under a solar powered light outside her home.

After that is was back on a boat and back to the mainland for a 3-hour drive to Kisii.

Powerhive : Kisii and Nyamira are Buzzing with Energy

These are two counties that I usually transition through on my way to other places. It was great for once to spend some time with the friendly residents and get to see how solar has transformed their lives.

The counties with a thousand green hills are going even greener, with more homes being connected to mini grids run by Powerhive.

After meeting up with the Powerhive team at their offices in Kisii, we made a quick dash to Peninah Moraa’s farm that sits on the Kisii – Nyamira border.

The soft purr of an electric posho mill transformed my idea of what solar can and can’t do. Inside a sturdy iron sheet structure erected at the front of Peninah’s house, I found Noah Momanyi milling maize flour for a client. Compared to the loud diesel powered posho mills that I’m used to, this was quite revolutionary. The quiet power of solar.

Still in Peninah’s farm, we found her grandson Charlton Bosire taking care of chicks. As chicken farmers know, reliable electricity is important for warming of the chicks during their first days and weeks. This made Powerhive’s solar the clear choice for Peninah.

The sweet aroma of pishori interrupted our photo session with the chicken. Upon enquiring where it was coming from, we were pointed in the direction of Peninah’s clay-bricked house.

Inside, Joan Kwamboka had started preparing lunch using a solar cooker.

All it took was a few minutes and the cooker beeped to signal the rice was ready. I wish we would have stayed for an early lunch but duty called.

Less than a kilometre up hill from Peninah’s farm, set in the middle of maize and tea plantations is the Powerhive solar facility.

Felix Atuma and other engineers from Powerhive constantly monitor installations in the facility to ensure systems are running correctly and customers have a reliable flow of electricity.

Powerhive Facility in Sameta

With more and more clients switching to solar in Kisii, Powerhive have set up a stocking facility in Sameta near Ogembo from where they are able to efficiently meet the power needs of clients in the surrounding areas.

During a quick stopover at the facility, we met several members of the Powerhive team at work.

George Osigo.

Carol Obila.

Cosmas Odera.

Kuku Poa from Powerhive

Through Kuku Poa, an initiative by Powerhive, farmers receive training on the profitable use of electricity through access to training and assets which they use for the rearing and marketing of poultry products.

One such farmer is Janet Toriri. She needed a reliable source of electricity for her incubator business, so she hatched an idea and turned to Powerhive.

Farmers from the surrounding area bring eggs their chicken have laid to Jane’s incubator. The eggs are labelled and arranged systematically in the incubator and stored at defined temperature and humidity for them to hatch in 21 days.

So which came first… The egg or the incubator?

Kisii’s Silent Rider

As the day came to a close, we all looked forward to meeting Moses Marube – Kisii’s silent rider.

Unlike other boda boda riders, he moves with stealth and doesn’t announce his arrival with the loud cacophony of a two-stroke smoke-emitting engine. He appears out of the blues and stops beside you, his beaming smile inviting you to take a back seat and ride with him.

Your ride with Moses will be one that you won’t forget because it will be quiet and comfortable. Unlike petrol operated boda bodas that make you struggle to hear the uhondo boda riders have, you will catch every word thanks to the quiet electric engine of Moses’ Powerhive EV boda boda.

The electric boda boda can run for up to 50 kilometres on a single charge which is more than enough for several rides. When the charge is low, Moses simply swaps the battery for a full one, and leaves the other charging.

As Moses rode away to pick another client, we returned to town for a home cooked dinner at a restaurant overlooking the ever-growing bustling Kisii.

As darkness fell and the metropolis lit up, we felt privileged to have met so many people who are powering their lives using solar, and the teams from KUDURA Power East Africa, Renewvia and Powerhive who are working hard to keep the green energy revolution going.

Special thanks to Green Mini Grid Facility Kenya for making this possible.