Review of Policy and Regulatory Environment

for Energy Crops in Kenya

June 25th, 2026

LIST OF ACRONYMS

ACCA Accelerating Clean Cooking Action in Kenya

AFA Agriculture and Food Authority

ASALs Arid and Semi-arid Lands

CCAK Clean Cookstoves Association of Kenya (CCAK)

CEP County Energy Plan

CBOs Community-Based Organizations

ECF Ethanol Cooking Fuel Master Plan

ELMECC Enhancement of Local Manufacturing and Energy Crops Cultivation for Clean Cooking

EIA Environmental impact assessment

EMCA Environmental Management and Coordination Act

EPRA Energy Petroleum Regulatory Authority

EPZ Export processing zone

ETIP Energy Transition & Investment Plan

EV Electric Vehicles

G-to-G Government-to-Government

GEDSI Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion

GHG Green House Gas

INEP Integrated National Energy Planning

IPPs Independent Power Producers

KALRO Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization

KEBS Kenya Bureau of Standards

KEPHIs Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service

KIRDI Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute

KAM Kenya Association of Manufacturers

LRMC Long Run Marginal Cost

LPG Liquefied Petroleum Gas

KEPSA Kenya Private Sector Alliance

KEREA Kenya Renewable Energy Association

KNCTS Kenya National Cooking Transition Strategy

MoALD Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development

MoEP Ministry of Energy and Petroleum

MSW municipal solid waste

MT Metric Tonne

NATMAP The National Transport Master Plan

NDC Nationally Determined Contribution

NEMA National Environment Management Authority

NGOs Non-Governmental Organizations

PWDs Persons with Disability

PPP Public-private partnership

PRG partial risk guarantees

SDGs Sustainable Development Goals

SAGA Semi-Autonomous Government Agency

SEZ Special Economic Zones

TVETs Technical and Vocational Training

t/ha Tonnes per Hectare

UNDP United Nations Development Program

USD United States Dollars

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Development of energy crops for bioethanol that is utilized in cooking fuel and blending imported fossil fuels has significant potential to reduce Kenya’s fuel import bill, generation of incomes for farmers in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) of Kenya and creation of jobs for the growing population of youth in Kenya.

Between 2021-2025, Kenya’s demand for bioethanol reached 40 million liters of which 32.7 million liters were imported at a cost of Ksh 3 billion, while the balance of about 5 to 6.5 million liters was produced locally. There is a significant challenge of local supply of bioethanol in Kenya, where the production potential for technical alcohol, which is typically used in bioethanol production, is estimated to be only 5.5 - 6.5 million liters per year, despite country's total installed processing capacity being 83 million liters annually. In the next 10 years (2026 – 2036), it is projected that the demand for bioethanol will increase to about 200 million liters annually. Despite the high potential of local production and increasing demand, the adoption of bioethanol in Kenya remains low due to inadequate regulatory framework.

Practical Action and its partners are working to stimulate market demand for energy crops, improve technical and business capacities of producers and manufacturers, and create linkages between value chain actors to enable growth of the sector. The project also supports the review of policies and regulations governing energy crops to ensure a conducive environment for private sector investment and sustainable production and market expansion.

Integral Media was commissioned by Practical Action to carry out a review of the existing regulatory framework at national and county levels, identify existing gaps and actionable recommendations to support sustainable energy crop cultivation and commercialization.

Various national and county-level policies, regulations, standards, and guidelines relevant to energy crops, bioethanol value chains, and clean cooking solutions were collated and reviewed. The review aimed at understanding the policy and regulatory environment for energy crops cultivation, bioethanol value chain and related areas, identify gaps, inconsistencies, barriers or opportunities which when addressed, would lead to increased energy crops cultivation, contribute to growth of bioethanol value chain and enhance economic growth in Kenya. The findings led recommendations on practical actions that need to be taken to improve existing policy environment to support sustainable energy crops cultivation and commercialization and, recommend institutional arrangements would strengthen collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Energy, and other institutions including private sector actors in alignment with the Bioenergy Strategy (2020–2027) and the National Cooking Transition Strategy (2024-2028). The validation meetings were held with the county governments of Kajiado, Kilifi, Kisumu, Nakuru, (ELMECC focal counties) and Nairobi in April, 2026.

The following gaps were identified:

· Policy Framework: Limited implementation of existing policies, Low prioritization of biomass for bioenergy, Lack of land-use planning, Limited Incentives in the bioenergy value-chain, Delay in development of key policy documents at the county level.

· Institutional Framework: Overlap of mandates for energy and agriculture sectors and, the two sectors were working in silos, Limited County-Level Capacity, Regulatory Voids in Supply Chain, Research to Policy Gap.

· Implementation and Operation: Weak Enforcement of available regulations, lack of reliable, up-to-date information and data for planning and monitoring progress and a limited critical mass of agriculture extension officers and those available lack specialized training on integrating energy crops into existing farming systems.

The following recommendations are proposed:

● Policy frameworks: Energy crops that serve as sources of feedstock for bioethanol to be prioritized in National and County level policies and strategies, budgeted for, and funded to increase local production. Cassava, sugarcane and sweet sorghum should be classified as scheduled industrial crops under the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) and the Ministry of Agriculture needs to prioritize the crops’ research, development, cultivation, processing, marketing and trade. The National Treasury should zero-rate tax for locally produced bioethanol and remove import duties on biofuels to make them competitive. Land Use planning and Sustainability Criteria should be defined and implemented to manage potential competition with food security. Specific, long-term policies that define the role of bioethanol in the energy mix, reducing the 25% import tariffs that currently hinder market growth are required.

Strengthening Institutions:

i. Collaboration between the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, and Ministry of Health needs to be strengthened by expanding the mandate of interministerial committee on clean cooking to include all aspects of bioenergy.

ii. This committee needs to be empowered and chaired by State Department of Energy in the Ministry of Energy and co-chaired by State Department of Agriculture in the Ministry of Agriculture.

iii. The committee should evolve into a Semi-Autonomous Government Agency (SAGA), which can take the title “the Kenya Bioenergy Development Authority” and . The counties should have Energy Ministries that will prioritize bioenergy sector through budgetary allocations and bioenergy projects.

iv. Farmer Cooperatives and out-grower Schemes that allow inclusion of smallholder farmers in the supply chain through cooperatives to manage the economies of scale needed for profitable ethanol production.

v. Public-private partnerships (PPPs) need to be developed for feedstock processing and distribution, particularly at the community level.

● Research and Development: Investment in research for high-yielding, non-food feedstocks is required. Further, accurate data and a central repository to track biofuel production, consumption, and the efficiency of the supply chain is required for future policy decisions.

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Cultivation of energy crops for bioethanol that is utilized in cooking fuel and blending imported fossil fuels has significant potential to reduce Kenya’s fuel import bill, generate incomes for farmers of Kenya and create jobs for the growing population of youth in Kenya. Between 2021-2025, Kenya’s demand for bioethanol reached 40 million liters of which 32.7 million liters were imported at a cost of Ksh 3 billion, while the balance of about 5 to 6.5 million liters was produced locally. There is a significant challenge of local supply of bioethanol in Kenya, where the production potential for technical alcohol, which is typically used in bioethanol production, is estimated to be only 5.5 - 6.5 million liters per year, despite country's total installed processing capacity being 83 million liters annually. In the next 10 years (2026 – 2036), it is projected that the demand for bioethanol will increase to about 200 million liters annually. Despite the high potential of local production and increasing demand, cultivation of energy crops and development of bioethanol value chain remains at nascent stages in Kenya due to several seasons revealed in this review document.

Integral Media was commissioned by Practical Action to carry out a review of existing policies and regulatory framework at national and county level, identify existing gaps and actionable recommendations to support sustainable energy crop cultivation and commercialization. The scope of work for this policy review was:

· Conduct a comprehensive review of existing national and county policies, regulations, standards, and guidelines governing energy crop cultivation, bioethanol value chains, and related areas.

· Identify gaps, inconsistencies, barriers, or opportunities within the policy framework.

· Provide practical, actionable recommendations for improving or harmonizing policies to support sustainable energy crop cultivation and commercialization.

· Promote the integration or alignment of bioethanol cropping into County Energy Plans (CEPs) of selected counties.

· Strengthen collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, KALRO, KIRDI, KAM, and county governments in alignment with the Bioenergy Strategy (2020–2027).

The following questions guided the current policy review:

1. What is the policy and regulatory environment for energy crops cultivation, bioethanol value chain and related areas?

2. Which gaps, inconsistencies, barriers or opportunities exist in the policy and regulatory environment that, when addressed, would lead to increased energy crops cultivation, contribute to growth of bioethanol value chain and enhance economic growth in Kenya?

3. What practical actions need to be taken to improve or harmonize existing policies to support sustainable energy crops cultivation and commercialization?

4. What institutional arrangements would strengthen collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Energy, KALRO, KIRDI, KAM, and county governments in alignment with the Bioenergy Strategy (2020–2027)?

2. ENERGY CROPS DEVELOPMENT AND ETHANOL VALUE CHAIN IN KENYA

2.1 Energy Crops Development

Based on the recent study carried out by Green Drive East Africa working for Practical Action, in a similar assignment, the crops that have been found to have high potential in ethanol production in Kenya include sweet sorghum, sugarcane, and cassava.

Sweet sorghum

Sweet sorghum is a warm-season crop that matures within 4 months and tolerates drought and high-temperature stress better than most crops. It has the highest production in rainfall of 500 – 600 mm but does not respond well to high rainfall as high soil moisture or continuous heavy rain after flowering, as too much water reduces the sugar content. Air temperatures suitable for its growth vary between 15 and 37 0C. It is adapted to latitudes ranging from 40 0N to 40 0S of the equator (Wani and Gajanan, 2012). Sweet sorghum has the following advantages as compared to sugarcane and cassava i) high sugar content in its stalk and ii) can be directly fermented, iii) requires minimum water and fertilizer requirements for growth, iv) drought and more salt resistance with adaptability to extreme environmental temperatures and v) the harvesting period is short. In Kenya, sweet sorghum can grow well in Arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) and has the potential of total ethanol production of 3,000-5000 liters per hectare. The crop can grow well in 30.6% (185,822km2) of the country’s surface area and presents the highest potential for private sector investment in Kenya.

Sugarcane

Sugarcane has traditionally been the main source of bioethanol in Kenya. The crop is grown in the counties of Kakamega, Bungoma, Busia, Kisumu, Migori, Trans-Nzoia, Kericho and Kwale counties. The Tana Delta in Tana River County also has a high potential for sugarcane cultivation under irrigation. About 17,332 km2 which is equivalent to 3% of the surface area of Kenya is suitable for cane production and the potential for ethanol production is 6,000 – 6,500 Liters per hectare.

Cassava

Cassava is produced as an orphan root crop in Kenya, primarily for food during cyclic droughts, but the crop has significant potential to produce bioethanol. In 2023-2024, cassava production increased from 1.29 million tonnes (2023) to 1.21 million tonnes (2024) on ~76–84k hectares, with exports rising sharply year-on-year (from 3,042 MT to 14,564 MT), signalling improving cross-border linkage potential, but the income from the crop showed overall value declined due to lower farm-gate price dynamics. Cassava produces 3,000 – 4,500 liters of ethanol per hectare.

Indicator	2023	2024	Notes
Harvested area (ha)	84,109	76,101	National total reported
Production (tonnes)	1,293,251	1,207,592	National total reported
Implied yield (t/ha)	15.4	15.9	Computed from AFA extracts
Exports (MT)	3,042	14,564	Strong export growth year-on-year
Imports (MT)	1,293	1,841	Imports present but lower than exports

Cassava production and yields in Kenya (AFA yearbook, 2023-2024)

For the three energy crops, the strategic interventions are required in policy and regulatory frameworks, technical support for the supply of certified quality inputs, strengthened market linkages, finance and investment in energy crops cultivation and the entire value chain, and gender inclusivity. The current review looks at policy and regulatory frameworks with an aim of identifying actions that would stimulate Kenya’s farming system to focus on energy crops cultivation and bioethanol value chain.

2.2 Ethanol Value chain Development

Globally, energy transition is taking place where energy is shifting from fossil-based sources to a zero-carbon system by 2050, aimed at mitigating climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emission and global warming. This transition primarily focuses on scaling of clean energy, improved energy efficiency, and accelerated electric mobility and has significant benefits for the environment, economy and the quality of life for the people, both current and future generations. The benefits associated with this transition include:

● Cutting carbon emissions by 45% by 2030, and then to net zero by 2050, would keep global warming at no more than 1.5℃ below pre-industrial levels, limiting the impacts of climate change such as rising sea levels, floods, wildfires, drought and higher temperatures from becoming worse than those already taking place;

● Cleaner air would reduce diseases caused by pollution, delivering important health benefits;

● Conservation of natural resources, thereby protecting the biodiversity that supports life on the planet as we know it; Reduced exposure to fluctuations in fossil fuel prices from geopolitics results in a more reliably-priced energy supply, helping businesses and families plan for the future

Under the energy transition, Kenya is recognized as a global leader in renewable energy, with over 90% of its electricity generated from geothermal, hydro, wind, and solar sources. The country has ambitious targets of achieving 100% clean energy within the next 3 years, by 2030, and net-zero emissions within the next 20 years, by 2050. Kenya's path focuses on scaling up geothermal power, green industrialization, and electric mobility to combat climate change.

Ethanol plays a critical role in Kenya’s transition to clean energy where it is expected to contribute at least 30% of clean cooking fuel and 10% blending for fossil fuels to reduce the import bill. Between 2021-2025, Kenya’s demand for bioethanol reached 40 million liters of which 32.7 million liters were imported at a cost of Ksh 3 billion, while the balance of about 5 to 6.5 million liters was produced locally. Replacing the Ksh 3 billion import cost with local production of ethanol would generate direct foreign exchange savings of US$ 23.18 million, thus reducing pressure on the CBK’s foreign exchange reserves. The reserves that remain within Kenya’s domestic economy will stimulate the GDP by creating job and income circulation rather than sending wealth to foreign nations.

There is a significant challenge of local supply of bioethanol in Kenya, where the production potential for technical alcohol, which is typically used in bioethanol production, is estimated to be only 5.5 - 6.5 million liters per year, despite the country's total installed processing capacity being 83 million liters annually, resulting in a 92.2% underutilization of already existing local bioethanol infrastructure. In the next 10 years (2026 – 2036), it is projected that the demand for bioethanol will increase to about 200 million liters annually.

Kenya’s ethanol development is guided by Kenya's Ethanol Cooking Fuel (ECF) Master Plan that aims to establish a sustainable bioethanol industry that replaces traditional charcoal production and utilization. The objective of the Master plan supports development of a sustainable bioethanol industry by establishing a secure, affordable, and sustainable supply chain for bioethanol cooking fuel. Once the masterplan is fully implemented, the efforts will create about 370,000 jobs, save up to 54 million trees thus reducing deforestation and desertification, reduce GHG emissions, and improve health of households by reducing respiratory diseases caused by charcoal pollution, and support attainment of 13 out of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the country. Kenya currently produces an estimated 11.3M liters of ethanol against a demand of 40 million liters, where the most of the ethanol is imported to bridge the deficit. In the next 10 years, the demand for bioethanol is expected to increase to 200 million liters. The masterplan targets to meet the 200 million liters through local production by 2035.

3. POLICIES, REGULATORY AND INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK

3.1 Policy and regulatory framework

The following national and county policies, regulations, standards, and guidelines have relevance for energy crops cultivation and bioethanol value chain in Kenya.

Agricultural Policies

Agricultural policy 2021

The Agricultural Policy 2021 was developed to address the many challenges affecting food production and is therefore aimed at attaining food and nutrition security at the household and national level. The challenges include erratic and unpredictable rainfall in ASAL counties (84% of the country), progressive reduction of agricultural land; low agricultural production and productivity; poor marketing, low diversification in production, market uncertainties and low value addition to agricultural products; high post-harvest losses and unfavorable taxation and tax regimes. Other key challenges are ineffective and inefficient inter-sectoral linkages for development of agriculture; high cost of credit for investment in agriculture; poor governance in farmer organizations and farmer cooperatives; fewer adherences to demand-driven research for agricultural development; ineffective research-extension-farmer linkages and inadequate insurance facilities to cushion farmers and fisher folk from production uncertainties. The policy sets forth 11 specific objectives aimed at, among other aspects, diversification of production, commercialization, research and strengthening agricultural institutions in order to attain household and national food and nutrition security.

Agriculture Sector Transformation and Growth Strategy (ASTGS) (2019 – 2029)

The Agriculture Sector Transformation and Growth Strategy ASTGS was developed with an aim of transforming agriculture sector in Kenya within a period of 10 years (2019 – 2029), broken into two phases of five years. The strategy has three anchors (objectives) namely 1) increasing incomes for small-scale farmer, pastoralist and fisherfolk, 2) increasing value addition and agricultural output and 3) building food resilience at household level. The anchors are supported by 9 flagship programs that constitute a portfolio of interventions across the entire country. The programs for each of the stated objectives include:

1) Increasing incomes for small-scale farmer, pastoralist and fisherfolk:

· Creating or strengthening linkages between producers and small and micro-enterprises (SMEs) as suppliers of inputs and buyers of farm products. The target for the first 5 years (2019-2023) was one million farmers served by 1,000 SMEs.

· Increasing access to farm inputs. In the period 2019-2023, the strategy aimed at registration of 1.4 million high-needs farming households and empower then to access a range of inputs from multiple providers through e-vouchers.

2) Increase agricultural output and value addition:

· Establishment of agro-processing hubs. In 2019-2023 period, the strategy aimed to establish 6 large-scale agro-processing hubs for 5 crops, livestock and fisheries value chains across the country.

· Promote large-scale private sector farms and increased access to water for irrigation. In 2019-2023, the strategy aimed at attracting private sector to unlock 50 new large-scale private farms (bigger than 2,500 acres) and sustainable water supply for more than 150,000 acres of irrigation from existing infrastructure.

3) Building food resilience at household level

· Strengthening strategic food reserved. In 2019-2023 period, the goal was to restructure governance and operations of the Strategic Food Reserve (SFR) to better serve 4 million vulnerable Kenyans.

· Strengthening community-level resilience. In 2019-2023, the goal was to boost the food resilience of 1.2 million farming and pastoralist households in arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) through community-driven intervention design.

4) Enablers

· Capacity building and skills development. In 2019 – 2023, the goal was to train 200 government leaders, flagship implementers and 3,000 youth-led and digitally-enabled extension agents.

· Strengthening research and innovation.

· Risk mitigation. In 2019-2023, the goal was to monitor two key food system risks, sustainability and climate, and shocks related to pests, diseases and global prices.

Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture Strategy 2017 - 2026

The Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture Strategy was developed to build resilience of agricultural systems to climate change and minimizing Green House Gas (GHG) emissions in order to increase and sustain agricultural production and incomes. The strategy aims at adequately mainstreaming adaptation, building resilience and mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) into the agricultural sector and therefore guarantee productivity and food security in Kenya.

Energy Policies

National Energy Policy 2025–2034

Provides an updated policy framework aligning bioenergy with national economic growth, sustainable energy access, and climate commitments (e.g., net zero), ensuring environmental sustainability.

Sessional Paper No.5 of 2026 on the National Energy Policy 2025

The National Energy Policy 2025–2034 focuses on transforming Kenya's bioenergy sector from traditional biomass reliance to modern, sustainable, and regulated clean energy systems. The key bioenergy elements contained in the policy are:

● Clean Cooking & Health Focus: The policy targets 100% access to modern, clean cooking energy by 2030. It highlights the need to replace traditional, polluting solid biomass fuels with cleaner alternatives, such as biogas, modern bioethanol, and improved, sustainable biomass cookstoves to mitigate health, environmental, and ecological damage. Nearly 18 million women and children in rural homes and urban informal settlements are chronically exposed to particulate matter and carbon monoxide on a daily basis. Prolonged inhalation of smoke from indoor cooking has been correlated with a spike in cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI), asthma exacerbations, and cardiovascular diseases. Pneumonia caused by indoor smoke remains a major cause of mortality for children under five. By May 2026, household air pollution was the eighth leading cause of premature death in Kenya, claiming an estimated 27,000 lives annually.

● Modernization and Regulation of bioenergy sector: Recognizing the nascent state of modern bioenergy, the policy aims to formalize and regulate the sector. This includes moving away from unsustainable charcoal production toward certified biomass, biogas, and bioethanol production.

● Biofuel Development: The policy encourages the adoption of bioethanol blending with gasoline for the transport sector. It also explores the viability of local biomass feedstock for biodiesel production to diversify the energy mix.

● Integration with Agriculture & Waste: The policy supports tapping into agri-waste for energy production (biogas/solid fuel).

County Energy Plans (CEPs)

Enabled by the Energy Act 2019, these plans are crucial for localizing bioenergy strategies, identifying resource potential, and managing local energy demand, often supported by partnerships.

The Integrated National Energy Plan (INEP) is an inter-governmental document intended to guide the energy sector on short, medium- and long-term energy requirements based on evolving economic, socio-political and technical issues. The INEP is the integration of all the 47 County Energy Plans (CEP)

The Energy Act 2019 (sections 5 and 6) provide for the development of INEP and the need to monitor the implementation of INEP. To fulfil this requirement, Integrated National Energy Planning Framework and INEP Regulations have been drafted and are meant to facilitate engagement between the National and County governments and all the stakeholders, in the preparation of their energy plans and eventually the INEP.

The consolidation of energy plans into an Integrated National Energy Plan shall ensure that all the key thematic areas in the energy sector are covered and shall contain the following five (5) plans;

c. Energy efficiency and conservation plan

f. Clean cooking energy plan

Water Policies

The Water Act Cap 372 of 2016

The Act provides for the ownership, regulation, management, development and use of water resources, and water and sewerage services. It has provisions for formulation of five-year integrated water services strategy with plans, programs for protection, conservation, control and management of water resources; establishment of water sector institutions which include Water Resources Authority (in place of Water Resources Management Authority) to regulate water rights and works; the National Water Harvesting and Storage Authority (in place of National Water Conservation and Pipeline Corporation); the Water Services Regulatory Authority (in place of Water Services Regulatory Board); Water Works Development Agencies (in place of Water Services Boards); the Water Sector Trust Fund (in place of Water Services Trust Fund) to enhance water services; the Water Services Regulatory Authority to control water service providers, and the Water Tribunal (in place of Water Appeals Board) for dispute resolution. The act also addresses use of water resources to satisfy human and livestock needs, and to protect ecosystems to secure ecologically sustainable development, including the responsibilities of county governments and public private partnerships.

Land Policies

Land Act of 2012

The Land Act 2012 provides for the sustainable administration and management of land and land-based resources. The Act provides a governance framework for the administration and management of public and private land, contracts over land, leases and other related rights. The Act applies to all public land, community land and private land, in line with the Constitution of Kenya 2010. The Land Act outlines the following guiding values and principles on conservation and protection of ecologically sensitive areas; democracy, inclusiveness and participation of the communities in land management.

Land Registration Act of 2012

This Act provides for the registration of titles to land giving power to County Government to implement land registration. The Act provides that no part of the land comprised in a land register shall be transferred unless the proprietor has first sub-divided the land and duly registered each sub-division. It sets provisions that protect selling of land.

National Land Commission Act of 2012

The National Land Commission Act 2012 stipulates the functions and powers of the National Land Commission (NLC). In the Act, the functions of the NLC relevant to CSA include: recommending a national land policy to the national government; conducting research related to land and the use of natural resources, and make recommendations to appropriate authorities; monitoring and oversight responsibilities over land use planning throughout the country.

Fiscal Policies

Sessional Paper No. 5 of 2024 on the National Green Fiscal Incentives Policy Framework

The sessional paper sets a policy framework to transition Kenya toward a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy and provides a mix of fiscal incentives and disincentives to promote green investment and sustainable practices across sectors like agriculture, transport, and energy. Key policy tools that are set out in the policy include the use of carbon tax, rebates, subsidies, tax exemptions, ecological fiscal transfers, research grants, concessional loans, guarantees, interest rate subsidies, creation of a green bank. The policy includes VAT exemptions for products like sustainable briquettes and biogas.

Revenue & Excise License

This license is issued by Kenya Revenue Authority, for any facility engaging in distillation and fermentation must be licensed by the KRA under the Excise Duty Act.

National Strategies

Bioenergy Strategy 2020-2027 and Bioenergy Strategy Action Plan

This policy aims to formalize, modernize, and regulate the sector to support sustainable energy access for all in Kenya. The policy provides a roadmap for developing sustainable bioenergy as a formal industry to replace traditional use of biomass. The policy prioritizes modern clean cooking solutions, sustainable charcoal production, and bioenergy investments. Implementation of this policy is managed through national and county governments, where coordination is provided by the Ministry of Energy.

Clean cooking transition strategy

The overall objective of The Kenya National Cooking Transition Strategy (KNCTS) (2024–2028) is universal access to clean cooking in Kenya by 2028. The strategy utilizes a mix of energy sources including 50% LPG, 30% bioethanol, 10% electric, and 10% biogas/sustainable biomass to achieve its intended objective and five action agendas namely 1) bridging supply gaps, 2) improving affordability, 3) promoting local manufacturing, 4) raising awareness, and 5) ensuring accountability. By 2026, there was mixed progress on five action agendas.

Standards and Regulations

Biofuel Quality Standards (KEBS)

Standards exist for 10% ethanol blends (E10) with petrol. In 2026, Parliament has held extensive discussions on establishment of 20% ethanol blends and this will require new standards to be developed.

Energy (Biofuels) Regulations, 2025

These regulations provide a comprehensive framework for production, storage, transportation, and blending of biofuels. The purpose of these Regulations is to promote the adoption and use of biofuels by prescribing standards in the biofuels value chain. These Regulations shall apply to the production, importation, exportation, transportation, storage, packaging, blending, distribution and sale of biofuels. The regulations apply to Biogas, Biodiesel and Bioethanol

Ethanol Cooking Fuel (ECF) Master Plan

3.2 Institutional framework

Many institutions are involved in one way or another in energy crop cultivation and ethanol production in Kenya. These include government agencies, research institutions, private sector businesses and players and community level actors.

Government Institutions and Agencies

Government agencies, at national level, are involved in setting policy, legal and regulatory frameworks and standards. Most of these policies are implemented at county level, including formulation of county-specific polices and strategies, allocation of both financial and human resources for specific priority value chains, and supporting the farmers and buyers of produce from the farm.

The stakeholders include:

● Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development is involved in policy formulation and setting standards in crop and livestock management. There is a clear gap on matters of energy crop cultivation.

● The Ministry of Energy and Petroleum has the mandate to develop policies and strategies for the bioenergy and oversees the transition of Kenya to clean sustainable energy as well as blending standards for ethanol and fossil fuel for transport sector.

● Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) is responsible for regulation, licensing, and enforcing standards in the energy sector.

● National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) oversees environmental impact assessments (EIAs) for large-scale energy projects.

Research and training Institutions

These institutions are involved in research, innovation and generation of new knowledge beneficial to the Government and community level actors. The institutions include:

Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO)

Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) is the main public sector institution whose mandate is agricultural research in Kenya and, whose focus includes research, development and promotion of new energy crop varieties. The institution has made significant strives in developing new varieties of cassava that is resistant to diseases, in particular Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD) and Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD), which leads to 100% loss and, fast-maturing, high-yielding sugarcane varieties aimed at maximizing profitability among the farmers.

Universities

Local universities train and produce the technically competent human resources required in the energy crops production and bioenergy sector, work with KALRO in development of new crop varieties, and test the viability of different biomass feedstocks, such as sorghum, cassava, and sugarcane for bioenergy. Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) has been a leader in the field of energy crops and has successfully established optimized agronomic models that significantly improve per-hectare crop yields for sweet sorghum. The University of Nairobi (UON) has a leading role in research to identify the soil and climatic requirements needed to grow biofuel crops, and integrating smart renewable energy technologies to improve crop resilience against drought. With support from the World bank, Egerton University has also established the Africa Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Agriculture and Agribusiness Management (CESAAM) at Egerton University (Kenya) whose focus includes research and training in climate-smart agriculture, particularly exploring optimal soil and water management practices for cultivation of non-food energy crops in ASALs. Strathmore University, an institution of high repute in business development in Kenya and the Horn of Africa region, has also been instrumental in providing the required expertise in development of county energy plans with support from UK PACT in partnership with Practical Action (PA) Kenya.

Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI)

Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI) is a government institute under Ministry of Trade, Investments and Industry whose mandate is to undertake research, development and innovation in industrial and allied technologies aimed to support the country’s development. The institution supports Kenya’s transition into clean energy and ethanol value chain development by providing innovative solutions for clean cooking.

Development Partners

Development partners are key to development of the bioenergy sector. Partners and NGOs have been critical in Kenya, as they not only support the Government to come up with better policies, but also complement the government’s effort in supporting agricultural and energy projects at community level and link farmers to markets, as well as promoting best practices that are likely to be adopted country-wide. In crops and energy development, European Union, USAID, World Bank and GIZ have been some of the major partners for the Government of Kenya. Among the NGOs, Practical Action has led sustained effort in development of clean energy and clean cooking for almost 20 years in the country.

Private Sector partners

Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and Private Developers invest in bioenergy production, conversion technologies (biogas/biodiesel), and distribution. In energy crops and bioethanol development the main partners include Mumias sugar, COCO, Giraffe Bioenergy, Eni Kenya (Agrihub), and Farmchem limited. COCO and Mumias sugar have been some of the most prominent partners in energy crops and ethanol but their level of business in bioethanol has significantly declined. COCO wound up its business in 2025.

Community level actors

At community level, suppliers of farm inputs, aggregators and transporters play a critical role in energy crops cultivation, whereas a few large-scale and smallholder farmers cultivate energy crops (sugarcane, sorghum, cassava) as source of feedstock for ethanol development. The pastoralists play a critical role in the management of rangelands in ASALs, as these rangelands, where beef animals and an estimated 10 million Kenyans reside, are highly suitable in production of cassava, sorghum and sweet sorghum. Reorganization of farmers and pastoralists to form formal institutions (cooperatives, saccos, farmer associations) is critical in enhancing energy crops cultivation as this would allow a critical mass of suppliers and facilitate their training in best agricultural practices.

4.0 ANALYSIS OF GAPS AND OPPORTUNITY

The factors that influence the production of ethanol in Kenya include the lack of a policy framework that promotes sustainable development and use of ethanol, limited research, insufficient feedstock to increase production, over-reliance on rain-fed agriculture to grow energy crops, inadequate technology and technical expertise.

For sustainable cultivation of energy crops and development of ethanol value chain to be realized, prioritization of the energy crops is required within the existing policies at the national and county level, as this will allow allocation of funds and human resources for their development and utilization. The policies are needed to work in harmony within an ecosystem, rather than in silos. The Agricultural policy 2021, recognizes that industrial crops contribute up to 70% of Kenya’s agricultural exports. The policy specifically targets tea, coffee, sugarcane, cotton, sunflower, pyrethrum, barley, tobacco, sisal, coconut and bixa. The energy crops are, however, not prioritized in the policy. Their omission is, possibly, due to their traditional use as food of the “last resort” in times of drought and hunger and, due to the nascent level of the ethanol value chain, despite their potential to reduce poverty at household level, particularly in the ASALs and, reduce the cost of energy country-wide, when considered as industrial crops.

Similarly, the Agricultural Transformation and Growth Strategy (ATGS) focus on transformative interventions within the agriculture sector and relies on county agricultural sector priorities and value chains that are aligned to existing CIDPs and economic blueprints. This is in line with Kenya’s Constitution that devolved the agriculture sector to be a County Government function. Counties are therefore expected take the lead in transforming agricultural production. In the strategy, the priority agricultural value chains were identified by the counties. Energy crops are, however, not among the priority value chains in this strategy.

Apart from sugarcane, other energy crops (sweet sorghum and cassava) are drought-tolerant, naturally suited to growing in the ASALs, where they have the potential, not only to complement livestock sector but Kenya’s economic growth and jobs creation. With climate change and unreliable rainfall pattern, and where most (84%) of Kenya’s land mass is classified as ASALs, energy crops present a high opportunity for Kenya’s agricultural sector to adapt and significantly contribute to Kenya’s GDP by focusing on energy crops.

By focusing on adaption and building resilience, the Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture Strategy 2017 – 2026, supports the country to adapt towards energy crops cultivation, in addition to other crops, but its intended benefits would be realized only when other policies prioritize energy crops and ethanol value chain. This would allow resources, both human and financial, to be allocated to address constraints faced by farmers, distributors, processors and institutions responsible for development of the value chain.

One of the positive initiatives by the Ministry of Energy, which supports energy crops cultivation and ethanol value chain, was formulation and enactment of the Bioenergy Strategy 2020-2027 and Bioenergy Strategy Action Plan 2023, that formalizes bioenergy sector, as this provided a favorable environment to transform traditional practices harmful to households into clean energy that could be supported by private sector investors.

In the Action plan, the MoEP planned to support and facilitate private sector involvement in bioenergy development and continuously review and improve the ease of doing business. The intended outcomes were 1) standards for bioenergy technologies developed and 2) low-interest loans for local bioenergy producers catalyzed. Based on meetings held with the energy crops processors during this study, MoEP has made significant effort to bring private sector on board but the intended outcomes are yet to be realized. The cost of sustaining large scale bioethanol enterprises has actually increased due to heavy compliance requirements with multiple regulations. One of the main private sector processors of bioethanol, COCO ended up closing down their operations due to unfavorable business environment and inability to comply with the regulatory requirements.

In Kilifi County, the main private sector investor for processing cassava into bioethanol, Giraffe Bioenergy, has developed over 100 acres of cassava seedlings for supply to the farmers. However, the investor faces challenges related to power source, incurring huge costs as the entire facility runs on diesel generators, due to lack of connection to the main Kenya Power grid, yet the last power connection at Wakala, is only an estimate 5 km away. The investor would significantly reduce the costs of operations where these services (road infrastructure and power) are supplied by the Government.

The Bioenergy Strategy Action Plan 2023 also aims to strengthen collaboration between MoEP and MoH but fails to recognize the important role played by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development at national level in development of policies and strategies for energy crops. Strengthening collaboration between the three ministries at the national and county level has the potential to allow review of existing crop policies to prioritize energy crops as important industrial crops for energy development in Kenya. Further, specific inclusion of energy crops in the county policy instruments (Governor’s manifesto, Annual Development Plans, and County Integrated Development Plan) is likely to allow funding from the counties budgets and allow increased and consistent feed stocks for bioethanol production.

Another activity proposed under the Bioenergy Strategy Action Plan 2023 is to undertake a detailed land use planning for sustainable ethanol production. The progress made in implementation of this activity could not be established by this study. The activity is critical to mitigate potential adverse impact of large-scale mono-cropping thus replacing food crops and livestock but would require leadership from the Ministry of Lands and Physical planning, as the mandate for this task resides in this Ministry.

At the county level, analysis of the 5-year County Integrated Development Plans (CIDPs) for 2023 – 2027 show that three of the counties (Nairobi, Nakuru and Kajiado counties) had not prioritized energy crops cultivation, whereas two counties (Kilifi and Kisumu counties), had prioritized energy crops in their CIDPs. Kilifi County has prioritized cassava production while Kisumu County prioritized sugarcane production. The two counties, however, prioritize cultivation of energy crops to address food insecurity, and not energy generation. In all the five counties, renewable energy development has been viewed as primarily solar energy for street light, not as energy crops that has the potential to generate significant own-source revenues for the county and facilitate businesses by providing alternative source of energy to fossil fuel. For energy crops cultivation to succeed in the counties, they will need to be prioritized in CIDPs, annual development plans, County energy plans and county agriculture strategies.

The following gaps were identified through this policy review:

Policy Framework

● Limited implementation of existing policies: Although Kenya has policies that support bioenergy sector, their level of implementation falls short of the objectives and targets envisioned in these policies.

● Low prioritization of energy crops for bioethanol development: Apart from sugarcane, other energy crops (cassava, sweet sorghum) are orphan crops considered for alleviating hunger, rather than industrial crops, despite their immense potential to reduce the import bill of fossil fuels. Despite its important role of supplying energy to up to 90% of energy in rural areas charcoal is also treated as a "traditional" or illegal commodity rather than a formal, sustainable energy source that needs to be regulated.

● Lack of land-use planning: There is no explicit policy framework governing land-use conflicts between food crops and fuel crops, creating imbalance in crop selection and corresponding best utilization.

● Limited Incentives for cultivation of energy crops and bioethanol value chain development: Lack of robust fiscal incentives, such as tailored tax subsidies, for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) engaged in energy crop cultivation and processing.

● Delay in development of key policy documents: While progress has been made at national level, counties still need to develop county energy plans (CEPs). The counties that have already developed CEPs require to fast-tract implementation by developing the accompanying investment prospectus and supporting regulations.

Institutional Framework

● Mandate Overlap and Silos state: There is weak coordination between the Ministry of Agriculture with the mandate to develop energy crops and the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum with mandate for renewable energy and bioethanol fuels development.

● Limited County-Level Capacity: Under the County Energy Plans (CEPs), county governments are tasked with promoting local energy resources. However, counties have been hindered by limited technical expertise and human resources.

● Research to Policy Gap: Local university findings on biomass feedstock viability for biodiesel are not consistently integrated into policy formulation.

Implementation and Operation

● Weak Extension Services: There is a limited number of agriculture extension officers and those available lack specialized training on integrating energy crops into existing farming systems.

5.0 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY CROP CULTIVATION AND COMMERCIALIZATION

For sustainable energy crops cultivation and ethanol value chain development, a push-pull strategic approach by National and County government is required, as this will overcome systemic barriers currently limiting the growth of the entire value chain. The Push Strategies should focus on the supply side of the economy where interventions equip farmers with the skills, certified and quality agricultural inputs, access to finance and reorganize farmers into formal institutions (cooperatives, farmers saccos and associations), for them to be able to engage in the market.

The Pull Strategies should focus on the demand side of the economy to address barriers existing in the market system, where interventions reform the broader market system to accommodate and reward the effort made by the farmers, aggregators of crops produce, transporters, processors and distributors of ethanol. Potential interventions should connect small scale farmers to larger supply chains through improved connectivity (roads, electricity infrastructure, telephone connectivity), while at the same time creating incentives for businesses in this value chain to thrive. Based on the findings of this work, the following recommendations are made:

Policy and Institutional Strengthening

Strengthening existing policy frameworks

● Harmonization of agricultural and energy policies: Prioritization of Energy crops that serve as sources of feedstock for ethanol production is necessary to increase local production. At national level, this requires classification of cassava, sugarcane and sweet sorghum as scheduled industrial crops under the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA). It also requires review of existing agriculture policies and strategies under the Ministry of Agriculture to prioritize the funding of energy crops, research, development, cultivation, processing, marketing and trade. At the county level, agriculture strategies in the county need to be reviewed to prioritize energy crops, as these will complement and the existing County Energy Plans. The energy crops cultivation will also need to be included in the CIDPs and annual development plans for funding to be allocated from the county.

● Define Land Use and Sustainability Criteria: Formulate strategies to optimize land use for energy crops, ensuring they do not compete with food security, such as prioritizing marginal lands for farming feedstock. Agricultural policy at both national and county level must balance food security with the growing opportunity in energy crop commercialization.

● Formulate Clear Bioethanol Policies: Create specific, long-term policies that define the role of bioethanol in the energy mix, reducing the 25% import tariffs that currently hinder market growth.

Strengthening Institutions

● Strengthen collaboration between the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development: Collaboration between the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, and Ministry of Health needs to be strengthened by expanding the mandate of interministerial committee on clean cooking to include all aspects of bioenergy. This committee is currently chaired by State Department of Energy in the Ministry of Energy and but for comprehensive implementation it needs to be co-chaired by State Department of Agriculture.

● The committee should evolve into a Semi-Autonomous Government Agency (SAGA), what may be known as the Kenya Bioenergy Development Authority, that would constitute experts from Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, KALRO, KIRDI, KAM, and county governments.

● Creation of dedicated Ministries of Energy at County Level: The counties should create Energy Ministries that will implement policies developed at national level, prioritize bioenergy sector through budgetary allocations and bioenergy projects, and collaborate with the Ministries responsible for agriculture at the county level.

● Support Farmer Cooperatives and out grower Schemes: Promote the inclusion of smallholder farmers in the supply chain through cooperatives to manage the economies of scale needed for profitable ethanol production.

● Private Sector Investment: Create public-private partnerships (PPPs) to develop infrastructure for energy crops feedstock processing and distribution, particularly at the community level.

Research and Development

● Promote High-Yield Feed stocks: Invest in research for high-yielding, non-food feed stocks such as sweet sorghum or cassava, which can thrive in arid conditions and require less capital than traditional sugarcane.

● Data Management and Market Information: Establish a central repository to track ethanol production, consumption, and the efficiency of the supply chain to guide future policy decisions.

Implementation Matrix

The implementation matrix looks at short-term (1–2 years), medium-term (3–5 years), and long-term (6–10 years) actions to support energy crop development, strengthen trade linkages, and expand the role of energy crops, in particular cassava, sorghum, and sugarcane in bioethanol and broader bio economy markets. They are grounded in Kenya’s clean cooking and bioenergy policy direction, which targets strong growth in bioethanol use and explicitly calls for programs to stimulate energy crop cultivation.

3.2.1 Short-term policy recommendations (1–2 years)

Intervention area	Policy Recommendation	Rationale	Lead actors	Expected outcome
Policy coordination	Review the current bioenergy strategy and establish an inter-ministerial energy crops and bioenergy coordination platform	Energy crops sit across agriculture, energy, trade, industry, and environment, yet implementation is often fragmented	Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Agriculture, Trade, county governments	Better policy coherence and reduced duplication
Producers organization	Review the current agriculture policy 2021, Agriculture transformation and growth transformation strategy (2019) and support farmer aggregation, cooperatives, and contract farming models for cassava, sweet sorghum, and sugarcane	Industrial buyers need reliable volumes and quality; fragmented supply is a key bottleneck	Counties, cooperatives, private processors, NGOs	Stronger supply reliability and bargaining power
Inputs and productivity	Review the County Integrated Development Plans (CIDPs), County Annual Development Plans (ADPs) and County Energy Plans (CEPs) to expand access to certified seed/planting materials and extension support for improved varieties	Yield improvement is essential for commercial viability, especially for sorghum and cassava	KALRO, KEPHIS, counties, seed companies	Higher productivity and better-quality raw materials
Market intelligence	Develop digital market information systems for prices, buyers, standards, and logistics	Farmers and MSMEs often lack timely market information and buyer intelligence	Ministry of Agriculture, ICT partners, private platforms	Improved price transparency and market participation
Pilot commercialization	Design pilot sites as market linkage hubs, not only agronomic demonstration plots	Pilot sites should demonstrate aggregation, bulking, quality control, offtake, and traceability	Project implementers, counties, TVETs, producer groups	Bankable proof of concept for investors and buyers
Investment climate	Review the current fiscal policies to provide temporary fiscal incentives for ethanol equipment, processing machinery, and drying/aggregation infrastructure	Kenya’s clean cooking strategy already points to tax and investment incentives for ethanol systems	National Treasury, Ministry of Energy, KRA	Lower entry costs for processors and distributors
Demand stimulation	Support institutional adoption pilots for ethanol fuel in schools, hospitals, hostels, and small businesses	Stable institutional demand can anchor early market growth	Ministry of Energy, counties, development partners	Early demand security and faster market confidence

3.2.2 Medium-term policy recommendations (3–5 years)

Policy area	Recommendation	Rationale	Lead actors	Expected outcome
Processing capacity	Review the current CIDPs and ADPs to promote regional agro-processing clusters for cassava chips, starch, ethanol, sweet sorghum milling, and molasses-based ethanol	Market demand cannot scale without local conversion capacity	National government, counties, private investors, DFIs	Increased local value addition and reduced post-harvest losses
Structured trade	Develop formal buyer-supplier frameworks and model contracts with quality-based pricing	Energy crop markets need predictable relationships and enforceable delivery terms	Ministry of Trade, cooperatives, processors, legal/industry bodies	Better contract compliance and lower transaction risk
Quality assurance	Establish crop-specific grading and handling standards for energy crop markets through KALRO and Kenya Bureau of Standards	Trade growth depends on standardization in moisture, maturity, cleanliness, and traceability	KEBS, AFA, KEPHIS, processors	Improved buyer confidence and market expansion
Rural infrastructure	Review the existing National and County Investments Plans to prioritize and invest in feeder roads, bulking centers, storage, drying facilities, and rural energy access	Logistics and post-harvest inefficiencies raise costs and reduce competitiveness	Counties, KeRRA, development partners	Lower marketing costs and stronger rural-industrial linkages
Finance	Create blended finance windows for producer organizations, aggregators, and processors	Energy crop value chains face large upfront costs and market risk	Treasury, commercial banks, DFIs, impact funds	More investment in production and processing
Land-use safeguards	Develop guidelines to balance energy crop expansion with food security and environmental sustainability in the land Act	Bioenergy growth can generate land-use competition if unmanaged	Ministry of Agriculture, NEMA, counties	More sustainable and socially acceptable growth
Regional trade	Strengthen East African regional trade protocols for cassava, sweet sorghum, and ethanol-related inputs/products	Regional demand can absorb surplus and support scale economies	EAC bodies, trade ministries, customs authorities	More resilient cross-border markets

Long-term policy recommendations (6–10 years)

Policy area	Recommendation	Rationale	Lead actors	Expected outcome
National bio economy strategy	Institutionalize energy crops within a broader national bio economy and industrial transformation framework by establishing Kenya Bioenergy Authority as an independent SAGA	Long-term scale requires integration beyond project-based interventions	National government, Parliament, industry associations	Stable policy direction and investor confidence
Biofuel market development	Gradually expand domestic ethanol blending and clean cooking fuel targets supported by local feedstock development by reviewing the existing blending standards	Kenya’s policy direction already points to substantial ethanol demand growth	Ministry of Energy, EPRA, fuel distributors	Strong, predictable domestic ethanol market
Large-scale processing	Facilitate strategic investment in ethanol plants, industrial starch facilities, and integrated sugar-bioenergy complexes	Downstream capacity will determine the ceiling for feedstock demand	Private investors, PPP units, DFIs	Large-scale demand pull for energy crops
Climate-smart scaling	Mainstream cassava and sorghum into climate adaptation and dryland development strategies	These crops are suitable for climate-resilient systems, especially in ASALs	Counties, climate funds, Ministry of Agriculture	Inclusive growth in marginal and semi-arid areas
R&D and innovation	Invest in breeding, biomass conversion technologies, mechanization, and digital traceability systems	Competitiveness depends on long-term technological upgrading	Universities, KALRO, private R&D, global partners	Higher yields, lower costs, and stronger competitiveness
Export positioning	Position Kenya and East Africa as regional suppliers of industrial starch, ethanol, and specialized energy crop derivatives	Mature markets can move beyond domestic substitution into export-oriented trade	Export promotion agencies, industry, EAC	Foreign exchange earnings and regional industrial leadership

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A Review of Policy and Regulatory Environment for Energy Crops in Kenya

A Review of Policy and Regulatory Environment for Energy Crops in Kenya

Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO)

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