John Magiro
John Magiro is a pioneering Kenyan renewable-energy entrepreneur whose ingenuity is transforming rural electrification. Raised in Murang’a County without access to grid electricity, he developed a fascination with rivers and improvised experiments to understand how dynamos worked. Despite getting a relatively low score in the 2011 KCSE, Magiro refused to let academic setbacks limit him. Using scrap metal and a bicycle dynamo, he built his first turbine, which successfully powered three homes—an innovation that later inspired the founding of Magiro Hydro Electricity Ltd. in 2016.
Magiro’s company now operates two run-of-river mini-hydro plants of 34 kW and 54 kW capacity on the Gondo and Irati rivers. These facilities deliver affordable, reliable, 24-hour electricity to more than 600 households, four schools, and 40 small businesses at nearly half the cost of the national grid. By replacing kerosene lamps and diesel generators, his model has displaced an estimated 1,200 tonnes of CO₂ emissions. With mobile payments integrated through M-Pesa and a pay-as-you-go smart-meter system introduced in 2024, customers can conveniently top up power in small amounts, making clean energy more accessible.
Recognized with seed funding from the Jack Ma Foundation’s Africa Business Heroes competition, Magiro is scaling a 300 kW plant and training youth in turbine fabrication, proving grassroots innovation can power Kenya’s green future.