What Kenya Can Learn from Brazil’s Energy Reform Journey

This week’s edition comes a little late, but for good reason. I’m finally home after months away, and I’ve been in Nairobi attending conferences, reconnecting with familiar faces, and soaking in the rhythm of the city I’ve missed. But amid the bustle, it didn’t take long for an old frustration to greet me: a power blackout.

We hear promises from Kenya Power each year, declarations to reduce outages and improve service, yet the reality on the ground remains bleak. National blackouts still occur, like the August 2023 incident that left the entire country in darkness for over 20 hours, halting services at major institutions, including our international airport, our gateway to the world. According to the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), outages are not just frequent, they’re worsening, increasing from 28 outages in 2021 to 47 outages annually in 2024.

According to the Kenya Association of Manufacturers, these outages cost the country about KES 24 billion a year which is around 1.5% of our GDP. But this isn't just about numbers. The outages have led to loss of lives in hospitals, paralyzed small businesses, and eroded investor confidence.

Voices from the Ground: A Survey of Kenyans Living the Crisis

A few months ago, Felix K Kiendi and I decided to dig deeper. I conducted a small survey to hear from Kenyans across sectors , people who live with the direct impact of these blackouts. The 115 respondents ranged from households and students to small business owners, hospital representatives, industrial workers, and even farmers.

• 45% said they experience 8–12 outages every single month.

• Another 41% reported between 0–8 outages.

• Most outages lasted 1–3 hours, while some went as long as 4–6 hours.

What stood out most was the lack of preparedness and communication.

• 52% of respondents said they had no alternative power source.

• Just 11% used generators , with hidden environmental costs from emissions.

• Only 3% always received prior notice of an outage.

• 33% never did, and 64% only "sometimes."

And even when communication happened, Twitter (X) was the primary method , a platform not accessible to many, especially in rural areas. When asked how they'd prefer to get notified, a resounding 73.9% chose SMS , a basic, direct method that would significantly improve preparedness and reduce losses.

Clearly, blackouts in Kenya are more than an inconvenience , they are a national development obstacle, made worse by a disconnect between providers and users.

Learning from Brazil: A Story of Reform and Resilience

Yet this challenge is not unique to Kenya. Let’s look at Brazil, a country that, just two decades ago, was no stranger to energy crises. In the early 2000s, Brazil faced a major power shortage, triggered by droughts that crippled its hydro-reliant grid. But unlike Kenya, Brazil responded with urgency and depth.

Here’s what they did , and what Kenya could learn:

1. Technological Innovation & Smart Grids

Brazil invested heavily in smart grid technology that allows real-time monitoring, demand forecasting, and fault detection. These tools help prevent blackouts before they happen or shorten their duration. Kenya can adopt similar tech to improve grid responsiveness and reduce downtime.

2. Open, Competitive Energy Market

Brazil liberalized its electricity market, allowing consumers to choose their electricity suppliers. From August 2026, even small-scale consumers (under 2.3kV) will have this choice. For larger users, this freedom arrives even earlier. Kenya’s monopoly utility system limits innovation and price competition. Breaking up the market could boost efficiency and encourage renewable energy uptake.

3. Decentralization Through Mini-Grids

Brazil expanded community-level mini-grids through public-private partnerships. This approach reduces over-reliance on a centralized grid. In Kenya, where some rural areas still lack reliable electricity, investing in solar or wind mini-grids could boost access and resilience, especially during national-level outages.

4. Energy Mix Diversification

Brazil has actively diversified its energy sources, moving beyond hydro to wind, solar, and biomass. Kenya, too, needs to reduce vulnerability to drought by expanding geothermal, solar, and wind energy especially with growing climate risks.

5. Communication & Consumer Empowerment

In Brazil, grid operators use forecasting models and automated alerts to inform users ahead of time , a practice largely absent in Kenya. As my survey shows, simply sending SMS notifications before an outage could dramatically reduce disruption for millions.

6. Stronger Regulatory Institutions

Reforms in Brazil were supported by strong, independent regulatory institutions. For Kenya, empowering bodies like EPRA to ensure transparency, crack down on corruption, and hold power providers accountable is essential for long-term improvement.

7. Anti-Vandalism & Theft Protection

Brazil has deployed AI and drone technology to monitor infrastructure and prevent vandalism. Kenya can follow suit using tech to curb illegal connections, cable theft, and other costly disruptions.

What Can Kenya Do Now?

Kenya stands at a crossroads. We have the technical expertise, innovative minds, and policy frameworks, but without implementation, accountability, and investment in modern systems, we will continue to stall.

To move forward, we must empower EPRA to operate independently and transparently. Smart grid investments are urgently needed for real-time monitoring and faster fault response. Opening up the electricity market to competition, as Brazil has done, can improve service and reduce costs.Decentralizing power through mini-grids, especially in rural areas, will increase access. Using AI for demand forecasting, and tech like drones and geofencing to fight vandalism, will boost reliability. Consumers deserve timely SMS updates on outages, a simple step to build trust.

Finally, diversifying our energy mix by investing more in geothermal, wind, and solar will reduce our risky dependence on hydro. The tools are here, and what we need now is the will to use them

Final Thoughts

As I write this, the lights are back on. But how long will they stay that way? We can't let electricity be a privilege enjoyed by the few or a gamble for businesses and hospitals. We need a bold, transparent, and technology-driven power reform agenda. Brazil faced its crisis and chose to transform. Kenya can do the same. But it starts with admitting that blackouts are not just about power. They’re about priorities.

This article was co-authored with Felix K Kiendi also studying his masters in International economy and Business at Corvinus University of Budapest.