Photo Captio n:Eng. Ronoh Kibet, OGW, KenGen’s Ag. Managing Director and CEO addresses partners and media during the SEC 2026 launch event in Nairobi.
NAIROBI, October 15, 2026 — The Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) will convene global investors, financiers and energy sector players in November to mobilise capital and partnerships for renewable energy projects aimed at accelerating Africa’s green industrial revolution.
The third Sustainable Energy Conference (SEC) 2026, scheduled for November 24 to 27 at the KenGen Olkaria Geothermal Spa in Naivasha, is expected to attract more than 1,500 delegates from over 80 countries, including 200 investors, 40 financing institutions, 100 utilities and power producers, and 100 exhibitors.
Speaking during the media launch in Nairobi Thursday, KenGen Acting Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Eng. Kibet Ronoh said the conference would help bridge the gap between Africa’s abundant renewable energy resources and the investment needed to turn them into commercially viable projects.
“SEC 2026 is designed to move the green energy investment conversation from opportunity to execution,” Ronoh said.
He noted that Africa continued to attract a small share of global energy investment despite its significant renewable energy potential, limiting the continent’s ability to expand electricity access and use clean power to drive economic development.
According to figures cited by Ronoh from the International Energy Agency, Africa accounts for approximately 20 percent of the world’s population but attracts less than three percent of global energy investment and only two percent of global clean energy investment. About 600 million Africans also lack access to electricity.
Ronoh said the conference, themed “Powering Africa’s Green Industrial Revolution,” would bring together stakeholders capable of financing and developing projects that use renewable energy to support industries, create employment and improve livelihoods.
“The true measure of Africa’s energy transformation will not simply be how many megawatts we generate. It will be how many industries we power, how many jobs we create and how many lives we transform,” he said.
The conference will focus on four strategic pillars: benchmarking, networking, finance and trade, with discussions covering investment mobilisation, project development, strategic partnerships and carbon trading.
Ronoh said hosting the event at Olkaria would give delegates an opportunity to examine Kenya’s geothermal development and explore how reliable renewable electricity could attract manufacturing and other enterprises.
He cited the KenGen Green Energy Park at Olkaria as an initiative intended to attract industries seeking reliable renewable energy to support their operations.
“Olkaria is more than a location on the map. It is proof of what becomes possible when a nation chooses to invest in its own potential,” Ronoh said.
He added that Africa needed to develop its own industries and capabilities rather than simply supplying resources for the global green transition while importing the economic benefits.
Meanwhile, KenGen’s Frank David Ochieng said the conference would connect African power producers and utilities with investors, financiers, governments, innovators and businesses seeking cleaner energy.
He said the gathering would provide an opportunity to identify investment prospects and build partnerships capable of turning renewable energy potential into productive industries.
“Behind every conversation about energy is a conversation about possibility,” Ochieng said, highlighting electricity’s role in supporting businesses, agriculture and essential services.
He urged the media to focus on how clean energy investments could translate into employment and improved livelihoods.
“Every megawatt must ultimately mean something in somebody’s life,” he said.
Stanbic Bank Kenya also pledged continued support for the country’s green energy sector, with Julius Longei, Executive Vice President and Energy Infrastructure Head at Stanbic Bank Kenya, expressing the bank’s commitment to its partnership with KenGen.
He said Kenya had established itself as a leader in renewable energy generation, with a significant proportion of electricity supplied to the national grid coming from green sources.
“Kenya is a leader in the world, and one of the areas where it has been noted to be leading is having a very high concentration of green energy power being contributed to the national grid compared to many other countries,” Longei said.
He said Stanbic Bank would continue exploring opportunities to support the sector beyond the conference.
“So we’re here to express our support. We’re here to express our partnership,” Longei said.
The conference is expected to bring together government officials, regulators, development finance institutions, project developers and companies seeking cleaner energy sources for their operations.
KenGen says SEC 2026 will provide a platform for investment discussions and partnerships aimed at translating Africa’s renewable energy potential into viable projects, industrial development and economic opportunities.
