Why nuclear power plant could be Ruto's ultimate legacy

For over six decades, Kenya’s pursuit of prosperity has been defined by massive infrastructure. We have laid the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from Mombasa to Nairobi and look forward to its extension to Busia.

We have built the Nairobi Expressway and are now on to dualing the Nairobi - Mau Summit carriageway.

That comes after the dualing of the Nairobi-Nyeri highway that has greatly eased transport in the Mt Kenya region. The government has great interest in transforming the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport into a regional air transport hub. Yet, while these projects move our people and goods, they are consumers of energy, not the source of it.

As we stand at the threshold of a new industrial dawn, it is my firm belief that the Siaya Nuclear Power Plant—set to break ground in March 2027—will be the crowning jewel of President William Ruto’s legacy. It is the project that finally moves Kenya from a "moving" economy to a "producing" one.

Kenya Vision 2030 identifies energy as the key enabler of our national transformation. However, our current renewable mix, while impressive, cannot alone meet the projected 60,000 MW demand required for full-scale industrialisation.

Nuclear energy will undoubtedly provide, in the medium term, the 3,000 MW baseload that hydro and solar, which are prone to weather changes, simply cannot. This strategy aligns perfectly with the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.

By slashing electricity costs from 9 US cents to as low as 4 US cents per unit, the country will be well on course to giving the "hustler", the small-scale manufacturer and the Jua Kali artisan the power to compete globally in a world where energy is everything – literally speaking.

After careful evaluation, Siaya emerged as a premier site for the construction of Kenya’s first nuclear power plant due to its proximity to Lake Victoria which will provide the essential water cooling required for its operations.

Read: Nuclear energy key to Kenya’s First World bid

This multi-billion shilling project will transform the Lake Basin into a high-tech industrial corridor, creating over 10,000 jobs during construction and thousands of permanent roles for our scientists, engineers, artisans, plumbers and all manner of professionals in the long run.

While the SGR and the Expressway are monuments of logistics, the Siaya Nuclear Plant is a multiplier. Unlike a road that requires constant maintenance, a nuclear plant provides reliable, zero-carbon energy for close to 100 years.

It is the infrastructure of infrastructures. The foundational energy that will finally make our industrial parks to be set up in all counties truly viable.

The Siaya nuclear power plant project is about more than just volts. It includes a nuclear research reactor to support cancer diagnostics, food irradiation to stop post-harvest losses, and advanced engineering.

Nuclear Power and Energy which I have been leading since 2023 will be partnering with key educational institutions in the Western region namely; Jaramogi Odinga Oginga University of Science and Technology and Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology as well as Kisumu Polytechnic, to ensure our youth are ready for this atomic decade.

The writer is CEO, Nuclear Power and Energy Agency (NuPEA)