Left in the dark: The silent struggle of Kwale Island

Under the vast Tanzanian sky, where the waves of the Indian Ocean gently kiss the shores of Kwale Island, an unspoken struggle unfolds daily. 

As the sun sets, the island falls into a suffocating darkness—not just of the night, but of progress, of opportunity, of hope. 

While the world charges forward in the age of electrification, the people of Kwale remain tied by the absence of a fundamental necessity: electricity.

For the 462 souls who call this remote island home, life is a delicate balance of survival against the odds. 

Located just 38 kilometers from Mkuranga town and 8 kilometers across the sea from Kisiju, Kwale is a place rich in history but burdened by hardship. Once a colonial post and home to Tanzania’s literary icon, Shaaban Robert, today it stands as a forgotten speck where the tides of time seem to have stood still.

Life without light

Kwale breathes through the rhythm of the sea. Fishing is its heartbeat, the lifeline of its people. Yet, even as the fishermen set out before dawn, their future remains uncertain. Without electricity, their catch has an expiry dictated by the unforgiving heat. The lack of refrigeration, ice-making facilities, or powered boats chains them to primitive methods, limiting their reach and profits.

“We fish all day, only to sell at throwaway prices because we cannot store what we catch,” laments Hamis Juma, a veteran fisherman. “Our hands bleed from toil, yet the real profit is made by middlemen on the mainland.”

Women, too, feel the heavy hand of deprivation. Sea moss farming, a potential source of income, remains underdeveloped. Without processing facilities, the raw product is sold cheaply, robbing them of the opportunity to reap its full economic benefits. The dream of empowerment flickers dimly, snuffed out by the cruel absence of electricity.

Community on the brink

The island’s fragility extends beyond livelihoods—it creeps into the very fabric of daily life. At night, only five homes on the entire island glow dimly, powered by small solar panels. Another fifteen households rely on battery-powered lamps. The rest? They exist in shadows, relying on the flickering glow of kerosene lanterns, inhaling toxic fumes as they seek comfort in the darkness.

For the sick, darkness is more than an inconvenience—it is a death sentence. Kwale’s dispensary, officially inaugurated in 2024, stands as a hollow promise of healthcare. Without electricity, there is no cold storage for vaccines, no powered medical equipment, and no emergency care after sundown. Expectant mothers are advised to leave their homes weeks before delivery, braving the rough waters to seek refuge in Kisiju’s Nyota Bahari dispensary.

“We advise pregnant women to leave early if they want a safe birth,” says Amour Khaji, a 75-year-old former village chairman who has witnessed generations suffer the same fate. “There is no light here—not in our homes, not in our schools, not in our future.”

Stolen future

Education, the great equalizer, remains an unfulfilled promise in Kwale. The island’s only primary school is a stark picture of neglect—dilapidated classrooms, inadequate desks, and worst of all, no electricity. When national exams approach, an extraordinary yet heartbreaking scene unfolds: children gather in an open field, huddled under borrowed solar lamps to study. Their young eyes, filled with silent determination, flicker with hope despite the odds stacked against them.

“If we had electricity, our children could study at home,” says Wonder Michael, a teacher at Kwale Primary School. “But here, progress comes at the mercy of the sun and the kindness of those who own solar lamps.”

Glimmer of hope

Kwale’s plight is no longer a whisper in the wind. The ELICO Foundation, through the SWARM Electrification Project, has taken the first step toward breaking the chains of darkness. This ambitious initiative, a collaboration between European and African research institutions and private sector partners, aims to bring a sustainable, bottom-up energy solution to Kwale. A mini-grid that was formally abandoned will be revived and expanded, linking solar-powered households and businesses into a shared network, creating a revolutionary peer-to-peer energy-sharing model.

For the first time, the island dares to dream. Imagine a Kwale where fishermen preserve their catch, where women build thriving businesses, where students study without fear of the night, where mothers give birth safely, and where progress is no longer a distant echo across the waters of Kisiju.

For too long, Kwale has been left in the dark. But now, the dawn of electrification is near, and with it, the promise of a future where no one is left behind.