Nairobi and its surrounding counties consumed nearly half of all electricity used in Kenya in the year to June 2026, with demand in the region rising by more than 500 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in a year, new data from the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) shows.
The Nairobi region used 5,465.36 GWh during the financial year, accounting for 43.92 percent of the country's total electricity consumption.
The figure marked a 10.09 percent rise from the 4,964.34 GWh recorded in the previous financial year, translating to an additional 501.02 GWh consumed in the region.
The figures are contained in EPRA's Energy and Petroleum Statistics Report 2026, released on September 29 for the financial year ended June 30.
Nairobi retained its position as the country's biggest electricity-consuming region, with EPRA linking the high demand to its large population and concentration of industrial activity.
“Nairobi region remained the largest consumer of electrical energy, accounting for 43.92% of the country’s total electricity consumption. The region consumed 5,465.36 GWh during the period under review, representing a 10.09% increase, equivalent to 501.02 GWh, from the 4,964.34 GWh recorded in the previous year,” the regulator said.
Under Kenya Power's regional classification, the Nairobi region includes Nairobi, Kiambu, Kajiado, Machakos and Makueni counties.
The latest figures also show that Nairobi's share of national electricity use has remained almost unchanged despite the rise in consumption.
In the year ended June 2025, the region accounted for 43.82 percent of national electricity consumption after using 4,964.34 GWh. This was an 8.59 percent increase from the 4,571.78 GWh recorded a year earlier.
The Coast region was the second-largest consumer during the latest financial year, using 2,087.62 GWh, equivalent to 17.74 percent of national electricity consumption.
Electricity use in the Coast region grew by 3.86 percent during the period.
North Eastern followed with consumption of 1,411.66 GWh, while Central Rift accounted for 9.45 percent of the country's total electricity use.
The Mt Kenya region consumed 813.50 GWh, representing 6.54 percent of national consumption. Its electricity use rose by 8.94 percent from 746.76 GWh in the previous year.
Western Kenya recorded consumption of 655.14 GWh, accounting for 5.26 percent of national electricity use.
In North Rift, consumption increased from 515.44 GWh to 574.85 GWh during the year.
South Nyanza had the lowest overall electricity consumption at 260.12 GWh, representing 2.09 percent of national use.
Despite recording the smallest consumption, the region posted the fastest growth rate. Its electricity use increased by 17.93 percent from 220.49 GWh in the previous year.
The increase across several regions came as overall electricity demand in Kenya continued to grow.
National peak electricity demand reached a record 2,514.28 megawatts (MW) on June 29, 2026, becoming the first time demand crossed the 2,500MW mark.
The new peak was 198MW, or 8.55 percent, above the 2,316.22MW recorded during the previous financial year.
Electricity generation also increased during the period, rising by 8.44 percent to 15,692.81 GWh.
Renewable energy sources accounted for 81.13 percent of total electricity generation. Geothermal power contributed 40.91 percent, while hydropower accounted for 22.65 percent.
The increase in demand was also reflected in electricity sales by Kenya Power.
The utility sold 12,792.42 GWh in the year to June 2026, up 12.2 percent from 11,403 GWh recorded a year earlier, according to provisional figures reported in September.
The rise followed the addition of more than 411,000 new electricity connections during the period.
Households contributed strongly to the increase, with domestic electricity sales rising by 19 percent to 4,327 GWh from 3,641 GWh in the previous year.
EPRA had also reported rising electricity demand during the first half of the 2025/26 financial year.
During the six months, electricity demand increased by 8.25 percent, while peak demand reached 2,439.06MW in December 2025.
The number of grid-connected customers also increased by 182,195 to reach 10.22 million during the same period.
The latest regional figures show that Nairobi and the counties grouped under the region continue to account for the largest share of Kenya's electricity use, while areas such as South Nyanza are recording faster growth from lower consumption levels.