Policy Brief No. 08 of 2007 on Strategies for Securing Energy Supply in Kenya

Abstract

There is a close relationship between economic growth and quality of life, on one hand, and demand for energy, on the other. Acountry cannot experience high levels of economic growth if energy supplies are constrained. Lack of adequate and reliable supply of energy reduces the potential for achieving major structural changes in rural and urban economies. There is also the critical relationship between energy and the environment. The environment provides raw materials for the energy industry. The environment, on the other hand, is the recipient of the residues of energy production and consumption, and fossil fuels are the largest contributors to air pollution. The emissions, especially carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen and sulphur oxides are responsible for changes in the atmosphere that are affecting the global climate.