BULK SUPPLY AND OPEN ACCESS IN KENYA'S ELECTRICITY MARKET - SSN1 | Ep1

Bulk Supply and Open Access in Kenya’s Electricity Market: From Regulatory Framework to Implementation What will it take to make open access work in Kenya’s electricity market? In this episode of The Equilibrium Brief, we go beyond the regulatory framework to examine the practical and commercial questions that will shape the implementation of bulk supply and open access in Kenya’s power sector. Our conversation explores how open access can move from regulation to actual electricity transactions — including who can participate, how electricity moves from contract to grid, the role of bulk supply and network access, and what the true delivered cost of electricity will look like for market participants. We also discuss the institutional and commercial readiness required to make the first transactions viable and bankable, including the role of EPRA, network operators, market participants and other key stakeholders. The discussion considers a broader question of electricity market design: how can Kenya introduce meaningful competition and bilateral electricity trading while maintaining cost recovery, encouraging investment in electricity networks, protecting system reliability and ensuring that the costs of reform are not unfairly shifted to consumers who remain outside the open-access market? In this episode, we discuss: • What open access means in Kenya's electricity market • The regulatory framework governing open access and bulk supply • Who can participate in the emerging electricity market • How electricity moves from a bilateral contract to the grid • Bulk supply, wheeling and network access • The economics and true delivered cost of electricity • Institutional readiness and implementation challenges • What will make the first open-access transactions commercially viable and bankable • Competition and bilateral electricity trading in Kenya • Network investment, cost recovery and system reliability • Protecting consumers as Kenya's electricity market evolves This conversation provides an important perspective on the transition from regulation to implementation and what it will take to build a competitive, reliable and commercially sustainable electricity market in Kenya. Guest: CS Ibrahim Kitoo, CP3P Topic: Bulk Supply and Open Access in Kenya’s Electricity Market Series: The Equilibrium Brief — Conversations Shaping Africa’s Infrastructure, Projects and Energy Agenda #TheEquilibriumBrief #OpenAccess #KenyaEnergy #ElectricityMarket #BulkSupply #EnergyRegulation #Kenya #EPRA #PowerSector #Electricity #Energy #EnergyTransition #Infrastructure #BilateralTrading 00:00 Introduction: CS Ibrahim Kitoo, CP3P & Kenya’s Energy Sector 00:46 What Changed on 8 May 2026? 03:54 What Does Bulk Supply and Open Access Actually Mean? 06:44 Who Is Eligible to Participate in Open Access? 10:24 Who Is the Offtaker? 11:21 Who Are the Key Players in the New Market? 18:35 Will Open Access Actually Reduce the Cost of Electricity? 23:17 Is Kenya’s Grid and Market Infrastructure Ready? 31:52 Where Are We With Implementation? 43:01 How Do We Balance Competition With System Stability? 46:25 Where Should Kenya Be by 2027 and Beyond? 49:45 Three Things Investors Need to Know 54:34 The Equilibrium: What Does Kenya Need to Get Right? 56:45 Closing: Moving From Regulation to Implementation