Kenya Power has attributed the country’s highest-ever electricity demand to the ongoing cold weather and growing customer connections.

In a statement released on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, the utility company revealed that electricity consumption hit a historic peak of 2,362.28 megawatts (MW) on July 23, 2025. This follows another spike earlier in the month, when demand reached 2,325 MW on July 2. Both figures surpassed the previous national record of 2,316 MW set in February this year.

According to Kenya Power, the sharp increase is due to more Kenyans using electricity to warm their homes and offices during the cold season.

“Apart from new connections, the cold weather has led to increased usage of grid power to heat homes and offices,” the company said.

The company’s Managing Director and CEO, Joseph Siror, added that the record peak reflects progress in Kenya Power’s electrification efforts across the country.

“The new peak demand is a testament to our commitment to drive national electricity access through the deployment of various electrification projects,” he said. “Electricity demand has increased by 46 MW in just five months since February.”

Powering homes, vehicles, kitchens

During the financial year ending June 30, 2025, the company connected 401,848 new customers. Kenya Power is also implementing various connectivity projects, including the Last Mile programme and other initiatives aimed at commercial and industrial users.

“We expect that the onboarding of these customers will push electricity demand further,” Siror noted.

Kenya Power is also promoting the use of electricity in transport and cooking as part of efforts to grow consumption. The company plans to install 45 electric vehicle charging stations in six counties this financial year.

In addition, it has set up four E-cooking hubs in Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, and Kisumu to demonstrate electric cooking appliances and educate the public on their benefits.

With more people relying on electricity to stay warm during the cold months and efforts to widen access continuing, Kenya Power believes the upward trend in demand is set to continue.