Nairobi, June 17 -- Kenya imported a record amount of electricity in the first three months of 2026 as rising demand from households and businesses outpaced growth in domestic power generation, exposing rising pressure on the energy supply system, and highlighting challenges posed by intermittent renewable power sources.

Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows electricity imports rose to 494.08 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) in the January-March period, the highest level ever recorded for a first quarter and a 26.4 percent increase from 390.9 million kWh, or units, in the corresponding period last year.

The surge came despite local electricity generation reaching an all-time high of 3.45 billion kWh during the quart...