Kenyans turn to Chinese-made solar floodlights to light homes, lowering power bills

Solar floodlights are prominently advertised in Kenya’s e-commerce shops and on platforms such as Solar Store, Jiji, Mybigorder, and through individuals selling on their social media pages, indicating a growing demand for them.

In the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, traders from across the country converge at a shopping district known as Nyamakima, which houses the largest shop network of electronic and electrical products imported from China.

Shopkeepers here import commodities in bulk from China, then sell them to other traders, sending parcels via bulk couriers to all parts of the country including to the neighboring countries of Uganda and South Sudan. What is, however, most noticeable in nearly all these shops are solar floodlights displayed prominently.

The growing demand for solar floodlights is reflective of similar demand in Kenya’s appetite for solar lighting solutions, off and on-grid.