This article is published in association with European Investment Bank.
The European Investment Bank’s development arm (EIB Global) will help Kenya’s largest hospital expand and green its energy supply. EIB Global will advise Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi on the installation of a solar-power system.
The goal of the project is to meet growing demand for electricity at the hospital while increasing its energy independence and reducing its carbon footprint.
EIB Global will offer the assistance in partnership with German development agency (GIZ) through a grant of 7.3 million Kenyan shillings (€50,000) from a multi-donor initiative run by the World Bank and EIB for cities – the Cities Climate Finance Gap Fund. The support will cover technical studies and a financial assessment regarding the planned installation of the photovoltaic (PV) system.
The hospital, which is also the largest public health centre in East Africa, has a capacity of 2,400 beds and serves about 2 million patients annually. High grid costs in Kenya are straining the budget of the hospital and power outages are forcing it to rely on diesel generators that meet only about 65% of demand, leaving critically ill patients at risk.
“Our goal is a climate smart future,” said EIB Regional Hub for East Africa Head Edward Claessen. “We are committed to supporting Kenyatta National Hospital in its transition to green electricity. The forthcoming technical studies will lay the ground for successful implementation of the PV system.”
Under the support agreement, GIZ experts will carry out the technical and financial evaluations for implementation and maintenance of the solar-power system.
Kenyatta National Hospital intends to direct savings on energy bills resulting from the planned PV system to areas such as purchasing medical supplies, hiring more staff and upgrading facilities.
“We are grateful to the European Investment Bank, GIZ and the City Climate Finance Gap Fund for their support through this technical assistance programme,” said Kenyatta National Hospital Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Evanson Kamuri. “This collaboration marks a significant step forward in our commitment to sustainable healthcare delivery. By integrating energy efficiency and climate-smart solutions, Kenyatta National Hospital is not only enhancing operational resilience but also setting a benchmark for environmentally responsible healthcare infrastructure in the region.”
The EIB Global and GIZ support will lead to concrete recommendations to the hospital on attaining reliable and efficient power supply through the planned PV system. The studies will assess the hospital’s current energy-consumption patterns, evaluate the feasibility of integrating the planned PV system into the hospital power grid, provide financial modelling for installation and maintenance and address regulatory questions.
The European Investment Bank, through the Cities Climate Gap Fund support cities in the early stages of project development by assessing the actual challenges, understanding the risks and designing fit-for-purpose solutions that resonate with their goals for a climate- smart future.
Background information
About EIB Global
The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. It finances investments that contribute to EU policy objectives.
EIB Global is the EIB Group’s specialised arm devoted to increasing the impact of international partnerships and development finance, and a key partner of Global Gateway. EIB Global aims to support €100 billion of investment by the end of 2027 — around one-third of the overall target of this EU initiative. Within Team Europe, EIB Global fosters strong, focused partnerships alongside fellow development finance institutions and civil society. EIB Global brings the EIB Group closer to people, companies and institutions through offices across the world. High-quality, up-to-date photos of the organisation’s headquarters for media use are available here.
About Gap Fund:
The Cities Climate Finance Gap Fund is a multi-donor fund, implemented by the World Bank and the EIB in collaboration with GIZ and other city networks. Gap Fund provides much-needed funding for early-stage technical assistance and capacity building so that cities from low- and middle-income countries can operationalise their climate action plans, develop robust project concepts, and access climate finance resources. Since its establishment in 2020, it has supported 183 cities in 67 countries.
On 20 September 2023, the governments of Germany and Luxembourg announced new funding of € 50 million for the City Climate Finance Gap Fund (Gap Fund) with an additional €5 million on the horizon, these resources will support the development of low-carbon and climate-resilient urban investments and will nearly double the fund’s capitalization, bringing it to €105 million, making it one of the largest early-stage technical assistance funds for cities and climate.
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