Mashujaa Day 2025: Why Kitui is pushing for clean energy and innovation
By Aloys Michael, October 20, 2025As Kenyans across the country commemorate Mashujaa Day 2025, Kitui is using the occasion not just to honour heroes of the past, but to shape the future, with a focus on clean energy and youth-driven innovation.
The event has brought together stakeholders from different sectors to deliberate on solutions to Kenya’s Vision 20230, themed “Transforming Lives through Sustainable Energy Solutions.” Mashujaa Day signals a nod to the region’s push to tackle climate change, energy poverty, and youth unemployment all at once.
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The government, through the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, is leading the charge, positioning Kitui as a launchpad for both policy and practical change.
“The shift in focus is deliberate. Instead of limiting Mashujaa Day to parades and speeches, organisers are delivering clean-energy projects and youth empowerment initiatives that promise real impact in people’s lives, from cleaner kitchens to new career paths,” the concept note reads in part.
One of the key challenges being addressed is clean cooking access. Nationally, just 34.4 per cent of Kenyans use clean fuels, with Kitui lagging at 24.4 per cent.
“To close this gap, 24,000 gas cylinders are being distributed through the National Oil Corporation of Kenya (NOCK), alongside briquetting machines and improved charcoal kilns to reduce harmful emissions and deforestation,” the government says.
Electricity access is also front and centre. Projects under the Last Mile programme, led by REREC and KPLC, aim to bring more homes onto the grid, while a transmission upgrade between Kitui and Wote by KETRACO will boost power reliability for both households and small businesses.
“We declared Africa not just as a victim of the crisis, but as a source of solutions with climate action driving economic growth, transformation, and job creation for our communities,” President William Ruto said when he visited Konza City.
“The adoption of electric mobility is a priority intervention to address the challenges of pollution.”
Climate change
The conversations go beyond renewables alone. Stakeholders are pushing for responsible coal use, oil and gas development, and biofuels that reflect Kenya’s nuanced energy transition, one that acknowledges the country’s resource base while prioritising environmental protection and equity.
Ruto told world leaders that Africa is not a passive victim of climate change but a rising source of solutions.
He said Africa is positioning climate action as both a survival strategy and a growth opportunity.
Speaking at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York (UNGA), Ruto said Kenya’s own investments in renewable energy and green technologies as proof that transformation is possible.
“This ambition is visible on the ground. Today, 93 per cent of Kenya’s electricity comes from renewable sources: geothermal, wind, solar, and hydro. We are expanding investments in e-mobility, climate-smart agriculture, clean cooking solutions, and green manufacturing. We are also pioneering nature-compatible solutions such as sustainable waste management and circular economy interventions,” he said.
The President said that the Global Stocktake had shown the world is off track in meeting its climate goals.