President William Ruto has disclosed that Kenya’s dream of hosting world-class, renewable energy–powered data centres has hit a major stumbling block: the country’s limited electricity generation capacity.
Speaking to the Kenyan diaspora in Qatar, Ruto explained that despite signing groundbreaking agreements with global tech giants such as Microsoft and UAE-based artificial intelligence firm G42, the projects encountered an unexpected challenge.
“When I went on a trip to the United States, we signed an agreement between G42 of UAE, Microsoft of America and Kenya to establish data centres,” Ruto said.
He humorously recounted that the enthusiasm quickly met reality when experts outlined the energy demands of the proposed hyperscale data centres.
“Tulikuja na kimbelembele yetu tukaanza kazi kuuliza tukaambiwa one data centre requires 1,000 megawatts. Yet, as a whole country, we only have 2,300 megawatts,” he said to laughter from the audience.
Jokingly, the President added that to power a single facility, “we would have to shut down the whole country,” underscoring the immense energy gap Kenya faces.
However, Ruto emphasized that the situation presents both a challenge and an opportunity. He insisted that Kenya must urgently expand its energy generation capacity to drive industrialization and fully tap into the digital and artificial intelligence revolutions.
“We need a minimum of 10,000 megawatts and we need it like yesterday,” he stated. “Between 5pm and 10pm, we have to do load-shedding because our energy haitoshi. If we want to industrialise and manufacture, we must invest in power generation.”
Ruto cited Ethiopia’s recently commissioned 5,400MW mega-dam – more than twice Kenya’s current output – as evidence that the region is rapidly advancing in energy infrastructure.
“We have a problem and we need to sort it out. We need about Sh1.2 trillion to do it, and we will find the money,” he assured, warning that any country left behind in the global technology race risks long-term stagnation. “AI is a huge consumer of energy. If we are left behind, tutakwama milele.”
Earlier in March 2024, Ruto witnessed the signing of a historic deal between Kenya’s EcoCloud and UAE’s G42 to develop a 1GW (1,000MW) geothermal-powered data centre; touted as the first of its kind in the world. A similar $1 billion partnership with Microsoft and G42 aims to build an Azure cloud region for East Africa, develop local-language AI models, enhance connectivity, and provide digital-skills training.
The agreement outlines that the data centre campus will primarily rely on geothermal energy and is expected to go live within 24 months once all approvals are secured.
Ruto blamed slow infrastructure growth on short-sighted political leadership. “Kenya can be a great nation, but we are not moving, not because of the people, but because of leaders,” he said.
“We must think beyond the ordinary and take this country to the next level,” he urged, reaffirming his government’s commitment to building the energy and digital foundation needed to position Kenya as a continental tech powerhouse.
“We cannot afford to be left behind this time,” Ruto concluded. “We have a country to mind about.”
The post Ruto’s Reality Check: Why Kenya Can’t Yet Host Mega Data Centres appeared first on Nairobi Wire.
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