Towards a Just Transition in Renewable Energy: Policy, Equity and Institutional Dynamics in Kenya

This article examined how Kenya’s transition to renewable energy can be made more just, focusing on the roles of policy incentives, institutional capacity, and equity-oriented provisions. The study aimed to assess whether financial and regulatory incentives, local institutional strength, and community benefit measures influenced renewable capacity adoption, employment creation, and public acceptance across counties. A concurrent mixed methods design was employed, combining a cross-sectional survey of 162 stakeholders from Busia, Kilifi, Turkana, Garissa, and Nakuru counties with twelve semi-structured interviews involving county energy officers, project managers, and community leaders. Quantitative data were analyzed using simple linear regression, while qualitative data were coded thematically in NVivo. The findings showed that counties offering stronger policy incentives achieved higher renewable energy capacity per capita, though these gains were contingent on effective institutional support. Institutional capacity strongly correlated with employment in the renewable energy sector, highlighting the importance of skilled personnel, dedicated energy offices, and coordinated governance. Equity-oriented provisions, such as local hiring and benefit-sharing programs, significantly increased public acceptance, but only when implementation was credible and transparent. The study concludes that a just energy transition requires the integration of policy support, institutional competence, and visible equity measures. It recommends aligning incentives with local capacity, embedding fairness in project design, and engaging communities early to ensure that renewable energy growth is both technically successful and socially inclusive.