By Felix Ochieng Akech

When Kevin Kipchirchir decided to turn part of his farm in Uasin Gishu into a solar power plant, he quickly discovered that installing panels was the easy part. The real work began when he realised that generating electricity for sale, even as a farmer, meant stepping into a tightly regulated energy sector.

“At first I thought this would be like installing solar for irrigation,” said Kevin. “But the moment I said I wanted to export power to the grid, I was told clearly: you must deal with EPRA.” This was his first major learning point: any farmer producing electricity beyond self-consumption and connecting to Kenya Power is legally treated as a power producer, regardless of scale.

Kevin’s 120 kW solar system placed him under EPRA’s small-scale renewable energy producer category. While this classification comes with lighter requirements than those imposed on large independent power producers, it is far from informal. “It’s not impossible, but it is structured,” he said. “You must meet every requirement exactly as asked.”

The application process forced Kevin to assemble documents he had never imagined would be needed for a farm project. EPRA required proof that he owned the land through a title deed, confirmation that the land could legally be used for energy generation, and a full technical description of the solar system. This included single line electrical diagrams, specifications for panels and inverters, grid protection details, and safety mechanisms.

Equally critical were documents from other institutions. EPRA would not even accept the application without environmental clearance from NEMA and a letter from Kenya Power confirming willingness to interconnect the system to the grid. Kevin also had to submit proof of his financial capacity, including bank statements and loan approval letters, alongside his national ID, KRA PIN, and business registration.

“It surprised me how coordinated the process is,” he said. “EPRA is not guessing. They want to know you can finance the project, that the land is legitimate, that the environment is protected, and that the grid will not be put at risk.”

Davis & Shirtliff, who supplied and installed the system, played a technical support role rather than acting as a proxy. They designed the system to EPRA-compliant standards, prepared certified equipment documentation, and produced the required electrical diagrams. However, said Kevin, the responsibility remained his. “I submitted the application myself and paid the fees. EPRA communicates directly with the applicant, not the installer,” he said.

From submission to approval, the EPRA process took about ten weeks. The delays, said Kevin, did not come from EPRA itself but from refining documents to the required technical standard. At one point, EPRA raised concerns about grid protection and safety. They wanted to know what would happen if the grid failed, how anti islanding would be handled, and whether nearby homes and workers were adequately protected. Kevin had to revise his system design to include additional protection relays before the approval was granted.

The cost of the EPRA process, including application fees, inspections, and compliance adjustments, came to roughly Sh120,000. This figure excluded NEMA fees, which were handled separately. “It’s money you must budget for,” said Kevin. “Skipping compliance will cost you more in the long run.”

Once he had secured his EPRA approval, Kenya Power. Engineers conducted site inspections, assessed metering requirements, and drafted a net metering agreement. The grid connection took another six weeks, meaning that from the start of paperwork to exporting power, the regulatory process took close to four months.

The returns have justified the effort. Kevin’s system generates between 18,000 and 19,000 kilowatt-hours each month. About 11,000 kWh are exported to the grid, earning him credits worth between Sh180,000 and Sh230,000 monthly, depending on sunshine and demand. This income comes after offsetting his own electricity use on the farm.

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“At current earnings, the investment will pay itself back in six to seven years,” he said. “After that, the power is almost pure profit.” With panel warranties running up to 25 years, Kevin anticipates decades of relatively stable income, something he never experienced with horticulture alone.

However, he is quick to caution farmers against seeing solar power as an easy escape. Without clear land ownership, early engagement with EPRA, and a guaranteed buyer or productive use for the electricity, projects can stall or fail entirely. “This is not a shortcut scheme,” he said. “Solar power is like farming. Planning determines success.”

If he were to start again, Kevin said he would approach EPRA even earlier,, before finalising the system size. That single adjustment, he believes, would have saved him time and redesign costs, because understanding the rules changed everything, moving him onwards from an attempt to cut his own electricity costs to creating a regulated, income-generating energy business on his farm.

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