Ruto reveals 5,000MW nuclear plan for Siaya

President William Ruto has announced that Kenya plans to generate between 2,000MW and 5,000MW of nuclear power from a plant to be established in Siaya as he continued his development tour of Nyanza.

Speaking in Kisumu on Monday, Ruto said the planned nuclear power generation would position Nyanza among Kenya's regions producing electricity for supply to the national grid.

“We have agreed that here in Siaya, we will generate between 2,000MW and 5,000MW using nuclear power, so that Nyanza becomes one of the regions producing electricity for supply to the rest of Kenya,” Ruto said.

The announcement comes as the President's four-day tour of Nyanza moves to Siaya, with energy, roads, water, housing and other infrastructure among the projects being highlighted by his administration.

Kenya has been advancing plans to introduce nuclear power into its energy mix as it seeks to increase electricity generation capacity to meet growing demand.

In March, Ruto announced plans to begin construction of a 2,000MW nuclear power plant in Siaya in 2027, with commissioning targeted for 2034.

He said then that Kenya intended to increase its installed electricity capacity from about 3,300MW to at least 10,000MW within five to seven years, with 3,000MW expected to come from nuclear energy.

The proposed Siaya project has since moved through further preparatory stages, with the government targeting a 2027 groundbreaking and 2034 start of electricity generation.

The Nuclear Power and Energy Agency has also been working with the Kenya Electricity Generating Company and international partners as Kenya prepares for the country's first nuclear power plant.

Kenya has been seeking further technical support from the International Atomic Energy Agency as it works to advance the nuclear programme.

Ruto said the wider expansion of electricity generation was part of efforts to support economic growth and industrialisation.

He also highlighted ongoing electricity connections and rural electrification projects in Nyanza, saying improved power supply would help the region participate more fully in economic production.

The President linked the energy expansion to his administration's broader economic record, saying the government had stabilised an economy that had been weighed down by debt.

He said inflation had been reduced, the economic system stabilised and foreign exchange reserves increased to twice the level recorded in 2022.

Ruto also said Kenya was now the sixth-largest economy in Africa.

“I want to tell the people of Kenya that you can lie to some of the people of Kenya sometime but you can't lie to all Kenyans all the time,” he said.