The Foundation for Clean Energy and Energy Inclusion for Africa (‘CEI Africa’) is proud to announce a significant investment in KUDURA Power East Africa Ltd  through a senior loan. The investment, which complements previous investments by RVE.SOL S.A. and InfraCo Africa Limited, will be used to finalize the construction of 20 Green Mini-Grids (GMGs) sites in Turkana County (Northern Kenya), which will result in over 5,000 electricity connections.  

KUDURA is a social-for-profit enterprise serving rural communities in East Africa with reliable, renewable energy. As a developer and operator of GMGs, it focuses on extending access to productive, affordable, and reliable electricity for rural homes and businesses. KUDURA employs a customer-centric model designed for industrial scale with an aggressive growth strategy to gain the required scale for improved ROIs for stakeholders and beneficiaries. 

Kenya’s power sector has grown substantially in recent years and many people have gained access to electricity. However, 16.5 million people remain disconnected from the grid, and in rural areas such as Turkana County, most inhabitants do not have any access to electricity. Consequently, these areas remain underdeveloped and have poor livelihoods due to low economic activity.  

To empower unserved communities and improve livelihoods, KUDURA finances and operates decentralized mini-grids, unlocking enormous development benefits through productive use of energy. By increasing access to electricity and water, the developer empowers new business opportunities and increases incomes for existing enterprises. For example, grain millers, welders, and carpenters will reliably power their tools, clinics can store vaccines with refrigerators, and hair salons can purchase and charge their clippers.  

Vivian Vendeirinho, the CEO of KUDURA said: “We are delighted to have CEI Africa on board co-financing our projects. Their capital will enable us to continue to scale up our life-changing mission. Access to electricity is crucial to economic growth and development and ultimately improvement of the rural livelihoods. We’d especially like to thank the Turkana County Government for their support in realizing this investment. Moving forward, we will expand further in Turkana Country including the Kakuma refugee camp. This investment from CEI Africa will be crucial in our journey to scaling mini-grid deployment in Kenya and for the sector, on the broader continent.” 

Steven Evers, Member of the Executive Board of CEI Africa, said: “Our investment in KUDURA,  also the first mini-grid transaction under the crowdlending window of the Foundation, will not only support the growth of the rural electrification in sub-Saharan Africa and result in tangible impact for small and medium enterprises but will also catalyze private retail investment into the sector through crowdfunding.” 

About KUDURA 

KUDURA Power East Africa is a leading GMG developer in Kenya, founded in 2011 to construct and operate mini-grids in East Africa. As a Kenyan licensed mini-grid developer/operator, KUDURA serves thousands of rural electricity consumers in Busia and Turkana Counties through its renewable energy mini-grids. KUDURA is scaling up to serve 10,000’s in Kenya and other Sub-Saharan countries over the next 3 years. In the last eight years, the developer has established an experienced team with the support of committed shareholders who offer complementary added value for attractive long-term value creation.  

About CEI Africa 

CEI Africa was established by the German development finance institution KfW on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in 2021 to improve access to energy for rural and peri-urban households and enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa. CEI Africa is managed by Triple Jump B.V. and implemented together with partners Persistent, and GreenMax Capital Group. It is a one-stop shop for mini-grid developers and other off-grid energy companies, offering a variety of financing instruments. The implementation of the Foundation’s Crowdlending window, which provides debt and investment products in collaboration with European Crowdlenders, is led by Persistent. CEI Africa has allocated EUR 28M to support off-grid energy companies and mini-grid project developers through co-financing with Crowdlenders, including the provision of Technical Assistance. GreenMax implements the Smart Outcomes (SOF) window, offering results-based financing grants, social impact-based financing, and forgivable loans. 

For any inquiries, please contact: 

CEI Africa: thomas@persistent.energy 

KUDURA: vivian@kudura.africa