The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) has urged all industry stakeholders to embrace and comply with 13 new energy and petroleum sector regulations gazetted between 2024 and 2025.
These regulations represent an upgrade aimed at modernizing the sector, attracting investment, and ensuring a sustainable energy future for Kenya.
EPRA Director-General Mr. Daniel Kiptoo Bargoria highlighted the strategic necessity of the new framework at a media roundtable in Nairobi.
“These regulations are strategic tools designed to help us plan more effectively for Kenya’s growing energy demand, align sector priorities with national development goals, and ensure that Kenyans have access to reliable, affordable, and sustainable petroleum and energy,” said Mr. Kiptoo Bargoria. He added that the rules were developed to close policy and operational gaps, making the sector more competitive and inclusive.
The new regulations span the electricity, renewable energy, and petroleum subsectors, addressing technology updates, ease of doing business, and emerging industry practices.
Electricity and Renewable Energy
- Energy (Net-Metering) Regulations, 2024: This landmark regulation empowers consumers who generate excess electricity (e.g., via solar or wind) to feed that power back into the national grid and receive credits. This transforms the grid into a storage facility, significantly encouraging decentralized renewable energy generation and opening doors for small-scale investors.
- Energy (Solar Water Heating) Regulations, 2025: These rules enhance energy efficiency and safety by setting clear guidelines for the installation, maintenance, and quality assurance of solar water heating systems. The goal is to stimulate the solar market, ensure durable solutions, and reduce national reliance on grid electricity for water heating.
- Energy (Energy Management) Regulations, 2025 (Revision): Targeting facilities consuming over
, this regulation places greater responsibility on large consumers to institutionalize efficiency as a core business strategy. It aims to reduce carbon emissions, drive innovation, and unlock opportunities for green investments.
- INEP Regulations, 2025 (Integrated National Energy Plan): These guidelines require all stakeholders—from national and county governments to private-sector actors—to collaborate on developing and publishing County Energy Plans that respond to local needs, ensuring accurate data supports evidence-based planning.
Petroleum Sector Modernization and Safety
- Petroleum (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) Regulations, 2025: Modernizing the 2019 framework, these regulations establish clear safety standards for LPG businesses, from Autogas stations to retail distribution. They are a critical step in promoting LPG as a cleaner, more efficient fuel, especially as over 74% of Kenyan households still rely on traditional fuels for cooking.
- Petroleum (Importation) (Amendment) Regulations, 2025 and Licensing Regulations: These amendments streamline and unify the importation, business licensing, and logistics facility construction processes. By simplifying procedures, they reduce operational bottlenecks and guarantee a more reliable supply of petroleum products.
- Petroleum (Licensing of Petroleum Road Transportation Business) Regulations, 2025: These rules enhance safety by setting firm requirements for operators, minimizing risks on the road, and protecting lives and property.
- Petroleum (Products Quality Management) Regulations, 2025: Establishes stringent standards requiring all refined products to meet the Kenya Standard or internationally approved specifications, guaranteeing the integrity and safety of fuel across the supply chain.
The new regulations can be accessed via the EPRA website at epra.go.ke.