Lilian Kanana is committed to eradicating energy poverty and driving Africa’s power future through renewable sources. She believes in creating environments for decent living through energy access.
“No mother should give birth under the light of a torch because their area is not electrified,” she says. As the project lead, Renewable Energy Integration at Kenya Power, she works on retrofitting diesel power stations with solar and wind energy.
As a lastborn in a family of nine siblings, she had “an oversupply” of mentors. Two of her siblings are engineers while one is a pilot.
“Professionally, I have had the privilege of being mentored along my career and that’s why I believe mentorship is very important.”
"No mother should give birth under the light of a torch because their area is not electrified."
From Kyeni Girls in Embu, she joined the University of Nairobi for a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Electronic Engineering.
She later joined the Indian Institute of Technology—the pinnacle of engineering excellence— where she earned a Master’s in Renewable Energy Technologies and Management.
She got a scholarship from the Ministry of Energy and International Solar Alliance through Kenya Power where she had worked for a year.
She co-founded Gamma Energy, a peer-driven initiative that promotes professional registration of female engineers, mentorship, networking and visibility. Globally, she is the vice chair of the Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers Power & Energy Society.
“One of my lowest career moments was having to leave my two-year-old son to go to India for my Master’s. I made a promise that the only way I’d reward my family is getting a distinction and giving back to the society once I was back. I was the best student in my class that year. And now I am working to electrify Africa.
-Ndugu Abisai