The Society for International Development (SID), in partnership with Heinrich Boll Foundation, through the Sustainable Energy Futures Project (SEF) hosted a public virtual forum on Monday 22 July, 2024. This forum, themed ‘Energy Policy and the Dilemmas of a Just Transition,’ presented a crucial opportunity to gain insights and contribute to the ongoing discourse on a just energy transition.
The concept of a just transition seeks to balance economic, social, and environmental goals in the face of climate change challenges. This is critical to ensure that the shift to a low-carbon economy is fair, protecting workers and communities from job losses and economic instability. It also seeks to promote social equity, support marginalized groups, and foster economic opportunities, ensuring that the benefits of climate action are shared widely and that no one is left behind.
Kenya’s stride towards Just Transition
In 2023, the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum launched its ‘Transition and Investment Plan 2023-2050’ to frame Kenya’s energy transition agenda while seeking to attract investment to support the country’s growing energy demand in the context of related climate actions. The plan highlights investment opportunities, identifies key technologies for decarbonization (renewable energy, clean cooking, green hydrogen), and emphasizes the importance of strong governance, stakeholder collaboration, and supportive policies. However, though ambitious, it faces several challenges in its development and implementation; these include balancing the growing demand with the supply of renewable energy, the need for sound investors to carry the plan to implementation, and the need to acquire advanced technologies that the country will need to import.
While Kenya has made significant strides to include just transition in developing and implementing its energy systems, reliability and affordability remain a huge challenge, particularly considering that energy poverty remains a critical barrier to achieving equitable development.
This first session provided a unique platform for stakeholders in the energy sector to identify actionable solutions to promote a fair and just energy transition. It also offered a comprehensive overview of Kenya’s journey towards a just energy transition, examining the policies and regulatory approaches in place.
Forum objectives and key highlights
The forum, moderated by Duncan Koome, featured expert speakers, namely: Sarah Odera, Research Fellow at Strathmore University Energy Research Centre; Collins Otieno, Global Climate Finance and Innovations lead at Hivos East Africa; and, Jesse Nyokabi, Energy expert and Board member at Quaise Energy Africa. All who are part of the Energy Reference Group for the SEF Project in Kenya.
The specific objectives of this forum were:
- To facilitate a multi- stakeholder dialogue on the opportunities and challenges of a just transition.
- To highlight complexities on aligning our policies to the transition story without exacerbating insecurities and inequalities.
- To aid policymakers in their efforts to navigate the dynamics between urgency (Climate action) and energy justice.
In the two-hours long public forum, the highlighted points below featured prominently in the discussions:
- Defining the concept of just transition
- Necessary skills for the just energy transition
- Financing strategies for the just transition
- Clean cooking transition & Kenya's NDCs review on clean cooking priorities
- The pivotal role of key institutions in achieving just transitions across all sectors
In case you missed this forum, you can replay the discussions on our YouTube channel through this linked text: Society for International Development - YouTube.
About Public Energy Futures Forum
This forum is one in a series of Sustainable Energy Futures Project public engagements. It is a platform open to the public to share insights, and acts as a space for collective dialogue. In this particular forum, SID aims to collectively address the opportunities and challenges of a just transition, highlight complexities on aligning our policies to the transition story without exacerbating insecurities and inequalities, and aid policy makers in their efforts to navigate the dynamics between urgency (climate action) and energy justice.
