President William Ruto has announced plans for Kenya to generate between 2,000 megawatts (MW) and 5,000MW of nuclear power from a plant to be established in Siaya County.

Ruto made the announcement on Monday, September 14, 2026, while speaking in Kisumu during his development tour of Nyanza.

According to the President, the planned nuclear power generation will make Nyanza one of the regions supplying electricity to Kenya's national grid.

The announcement comes as Ruto's four-day tour of Nyanza moves to Siaya, where his administration is highlighting projects covering energy, roads, water, housing and other infrastructure.

Kenya has been working towards introducing nuclear power into its electricity mix as the country seeks to increase generation capacity to meet rising demand.

In March, Ruto announced plans for construction of a 2,000MW nuclear power plant in Siaya, with construction expected to begin in 2027 and commissioning targeted for 2034.

At the time, the President said Kenya intended to raise its installed electricity generation capacity from about 3,300MW to at least 10,000MW within five to seven years. He said 3,000MW of that capacity was expected to come from nuclear energy.

The Siaya nuclear project has since progressed through further preparatory stages, with the government targeting a 2027 groundbreaking and the start of electricity generation in 2034.

The Nuclear Power and Energy Agency (NuPEA) has been working with Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) and international partners as preparations continue for Kenya's first nuclear power plant.

Kenya has also been seeking technical assistance from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as it advances its nuclear programme.

Ruto said the expansion of electricity generation is part of his administration's efforts to support economic growth and industrialisation.

During his remarks, he also pointed to electricity connections and rural electrification projects in Nyanza, saying improved electricity supply would enable the region to participate more fully in economic production.

The President also spoke about the wider performance of his administration, saying the government had stabilised an economy that had been affected by debt. He said inflation had fallen, the economic system had stabilised and foreign exchange reserves had increased to twice their 2022 level.

Ruto further said Kenya is now the sixth-largest economy in Africa.

The proposed nuclear plant in Siaya is therefore part of the government's broader plan to increase Kenya's electricity generation capacity, with the project expected to play a role in supplying power to the national grid.