Accelerating local development through inclusive energy planning: lessons from Meru county, Kenya

Kenya’s 47 counties are mandated to produce ten-year county energy plans (CEPs) to inform an integrated national energy plan. But to date, counties have struggled to do so. Challenges include a lack of access to reliable, disaggregated data at the sub-national level and limited capacity for data collection and analysis.

This briefing shares reflections from the project, 'Accelerating local development through inclusive energy planning', which used an inclusive, cross‑sectoral approach to operationalise Kenya’s national integrated energy planning framework in Meru county. This process aligned energy planning with local development priorities, enhanced evidence‑based and participatory planning, and delivered sustainable, energy‑enabled development interventions.

The process for creating the Meru CEP, which was ratified in January 2026 and the county government is now moving to implement, generated important insights for those aiming to make local energy planning more inclusive and evidence‑based, and deliver energy-enabled development interventions.