What Epicenter Africa does

Epicenter Africa Limited is a Nairobi-headquartered EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) provider founded in 2009 that delivers integrated water pumping, solar power, water treatment, and engine power solutions across East Africa. The company serves four primary segments: governments and county authorities (e.g., County Government of Wajir, Kasaini/Kitui County), humanitarian and development organizations (UNHCR Kakuma, Oxfam Maaban, JICA, CARE, DRC, Kenya Red Cross), industrial and institutional buyers (Bamburi Cement, Lafarge, University of Nairobi), and small-to-medium-scale farmers via its Kilimo Solar brand. It also serves real estate developers such as Superior Homes with residential installations. Operations span Kenya (Nairobi HQ and Garissa), Uganda (Kampala), and South Sudan (Juba).

The product stack includes the proprietary Kilimo Solar line of solar submersible and surface pumps (the latter based on the Ennos Sunlight Pump platform), distributed third-party borehole pumps from Grundfos (Denmark) and Lorentz (Germany), reverse osmosis water purification systems, solar panels/inverters/batteries, diesel generators using Perkins and Lister Petter engines, and accessories. Revenue is generated through hardware sales, end-to-end EPC project contracts, and ongoing service and maintenance contracts run from an in-house service center. Go-to-market is direct enterprise and project-based field sales; pricing is not publicly disclosed and is obtained via sales contact. The company reports cumulative operational impact of 5MW of solar generation and 2.5 billion liters per month of water output from its installed base, and claims to have directly affected 5 million lives since founding.

The business is privately held, with no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, no management team data beyond CEO Mary Njue, and no publicly listed revenue or headcount. Its primary competitive advantages are its multi-country East African office network, a broad OEM partnership roster positioning it as a regional system integrator, and a vertically integrated EPC model that bundles design, procurement, installation, commissioning, and after-sales service.

Name

Epicenter Africa

Legal name

Epicenter Africa Limited

Website

https://epicenterafrica.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Epicenter Africa is a Nairobi-based EPC provider founded in 2009 that designs, supplies, and installs solar water pumps, water treatment systems, solar power solutions, and diesel generators for governments, NGOs, industrial buyers, and farmers across Kenya, Uganda, and South Sudan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water and Solar Infrastructure EPC

NAICS

Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (333310)

SIC

General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560)

akta.pro primary industry

Construction Management & General Contracting (EPCM, Scheduling, QA/QC, HSE) (EUAMAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Utility-Scale PV EPC (Engineering, Procurement & Construction) (EUACAGAB), Desalination Plant EPC, O&M & Performance Optimization (EUANAFAK), Solar Balance-of-Plant EPC (Piles/Foundations, Trenching, Combiner Networks) (EUAEADAJ)

Keywords

• Solar water pumping
• Water treatment systems
• Renewable energy EPC
• Power generation equipment
• Water infrastructure solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. EPC Project Services: Full Engineering, Procurement, and Construction services for water and renewable energy projects. The company manages the complete project lifecycle from design through procurement, construction, commissioning, and handover, providing a stress-free experience for clients.
2. EPC Project Services: Full Engineering, Procurement, and Construction services for water and renewable energy projects. The company manages the complete project lifecycle from design through procurement, construction, commissioning, and handover, providing a stress-free experience for clients.
3. Product Sales: Sale of solar products (panels, inverters, batteries), borehole pumps (Grundfos, Lorentz, Ennos Sunlight), water treatment products, surface pumps, submersible pumps, and accessories (cables, pipes).
4. Service and Maintenance: Comprehensive service center for scheduled and impromptu maintenance, service, and repair works including borehole equipment diagnosis, controller repairs, flushing and disinfection, and equipment replacement.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Epicenter Africa is an EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) provider that imports, supplies, and installs solar water pumping systems, borehole pumps, reverse osmosis water treatment units, solar power components (panels, inverters, batteries), and diesel generators. The company delivers end-to-end projects from design and procurement through construction, commissioning, and handover, serving governments, NGOs, refugee camps, commercial enterprises, and farming communities across East Africa.

Product overview

Epicenter Africa offers sustainable power and water solutions primarily through its Kilimo Solar product line, which includes solar-powered submersible pumps, surface pumps (Sunlight Pump), and related solar products. The company also distributes borehole water pumps from brands like Grundfos, Lorentz, and Ennos Sunlight Pumps, provides surface water pumps, and offers domestic water purifiers using reverse osmosis technology. Additional products include solar panels, inverters, batteries, and accessories like cables and pipes. The solutions span water pumping (solar, electric, and hand-operated), water treatment (reverse osmosis, filtration, softening), solar power (lighting, street lighting, battery backup, water heating, hybrid systems), and engine power (generators, engine pumps, diesel engines).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kilimo Solar: Solar-powered water pumping solutions for farmers, including submersible and surface pumps designed for small and medium-scale agriculture in dry regions.

Products and services

• Kilimo Solar Submersible Pump Solar-powered submersible well pump for extracting water from shallow wells to the surface for irrigation, livestock watering, or domestic use, designed to operate without an external power source. Targeted at small and medium-scale farmers and community water supply applications.
• Kilimo Solar Surface Pump (Sunlight Pump) Award-winning surface solar water pump with total delivery head up to 40m, solar or battery powered with no fuel or electricity costs, lightweight and easy to install, requiring very low maintenance. Designed for farmers and communities for irrigation and domestic water supply.
• Borehole Water Pumps Distribution of Grundfos, Lorentz, and Ennos Sunlight Pumps for extracting water from drilled boreholes, offering affordable and high-quality pumping solutions for community, agricultural, and industrial water supply.
• Surface Water Pumps Pumps designed to extract water from surface sources including springs, ponds, tanks, and shallow wells, for domestic, agricultural, and community water supply applications.
• Domestic Water Purifier (Reverse Osmosis Unit) - ERO/M7 Reverse osmosis systems that remove dissolved salts and impurities from water and kill bacteria, providing a low-maintenance, chemical-free clean drinking water solution for domestic and institutional use.
• Solar Products: Panels, Inverters, Batteries Solar power system components including solar panels, inverters, and batteries, sold as part of sustainable power solutions to reduce electricity costs and provide reliable energy.
• Accessories: Cables, Pipes Cables and pipes for solar and water pumping system installations and related accessories.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2.5 billion liters of water output per month from projects
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• General Electric (USA)coreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner providing industrial equipment solutions for power generation and water applications.
• Grundfos (Denmark)coreTechnology or IntegrationProvider of high-quality borehole pumps and water pumping solutions. Epicenter Africa is a distributor of Grundfos products.
• Jinko Solar (China)coreTechnology or IntegrationProvider of solar panels for solar power systems and installations.
• Lister Petter (UK)coreTechnology or IntegrationProvider of diesel engines and generators for power generation and engine pump applications. Models include Lister Petter generators in their power generator range.
• Lorentz (Germany)coreTechnology or IntegrationProvider of solar water pumping solutions. Epicenter Africa is a distributor of Lorentz products for borehole pumping applications.
• Perkins (UK)coreTechnology or IntegrationProvider of diesel engines for power generation and industrial applications. Perkins engines are part of Epicenter Africa's generator range.
• Ennos (Switzerland)coreTechnology or IntegrationProvider of Sunlight Pumps - the source of Epicenter Africa's proprietary Kilimo Solar Surface Pump (Sunlight Pump) technology. Epicenter Africa distributes Ennos Sunlight Pumps.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Grundfos (local distribution): Global pump manufacturer with growing direct presence in East Africa through partner distributors. While Epicenter Africa is one of Grundfos's regional distributors, Grundfos's expanding direct footprint could either compete with or bypass Epicenter on certain segments of the water-pumping market.
• Solar Water Solutions (SWS): Finnish provider of solar-powered water purification and desalination technology with East African deployments. An existing technology partner of Epicenter, SWS's proprietary desalination systems could either complement Epicenter's EPC offering or compete for the same donor-funded desalination tenders in arid regions.
• Jibu: Franchise-based clean water provider operating in Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania. Competes with Epicenter's water-treatment and distribution offerings in the East African urban and peri-urban purified-water segment.

Direct peers

• Sun King (Greenlight Planet): Pay-as-you-go solar energy company with deep East African distribution. While more consumer-facing than Epicenter, Sun King competes for the same development-finance and donor attention that funds off-grid energy infrastructure rollouts across the region.
• WaterMission: International NGO implementing safe water solutions including solar-powered water systems across East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Tanzania). Operates as an implementing partner on similar UNHCR/UNICEF/donor-funded projects to Epicenter Africa's humanitarian water-supply portfolio.
• BBOXX: UK-headquartered solar energy company delivering solar home systems and clean energy solutions across East Africa including Kenya and Uganda. Targets similar off-grid and under-electrified customer segments and competes for donor-funded rural electrification projects alongside Epicenter Africa's solar pumping offerings.
• Davis & Shirtliff: Largest water-equipment and solar solutions provider in East Africa, distributing borehole pumps, solar systems, and water treatment equipment with offices across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and beyond. Directly competes with Epicenter Africa's core offering of solar pumping, RO treatment, and EPC services to governments, NGOs, and commercial clients.
• M-KOPA: Kenya-based pay-as-you-go solar home systems provider serving millions of off-grid East African households. While focused on residential lighting and appliances, M-KOPA's scale and brand compete for the same donor/development-finance attention and adjacent energy-access customers in the region.

Regional players

• Equatorial Power Uganda: Uganda-based renewable energy developer operating solar mini-grids and hydro projects in East Africa. Competes with Epicenter on government and donor-funded rural electrification and water-energy infrastructure tenders, particularly within Uganda.

Broad incumbents

• Cummins (East Africa distribution): Global power-generation manufacturer with established East African dealer networks for diesel generators and power solutions. Competes with Epicenter's engine-power/generator offering through authorized distributors serving commercial and government clients across the region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/EpicenterAfrica
• Xx.com/epicenterafrica

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Epicenter Africa