East African countries have made significant strides in enhancing electricity access to their citizens. Kenya and Tanzania took a global lead in connecting people with power, at a rate of 3 per cent each year between 2010 and 2016. This is according to The Energy Progress Report by the World Bank.

“Some of the strongest gains were made in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania, which all increased their electricity access rate by 3 per cent or more annually between 2010 and 2016,” the report, released last month states.

At the end of the period, electricity access rate in Kenya stood at 56 per cent. In Tanzania, it stood at 32.8 per cent, at 29.37 per cent in Rwanda and at 26.7 per cent in Uganda. Burundi was the least connected at 7.5 per cent, according to the report, which tracks global achievements in attaining sustainable energy for all by 2030.

Read more: The Exchange