Sharon Jelagat Kitony is awarded the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy Gneiss Energy Prize

A Kenyan student at the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy (CEPMLP) has won the Gneiss Energy Prize for Renewables Transition. The prize recognises the best student dissertation from the MSc Sustainability and Renewables course. 

Sharon’s dissertation highlighted the critical role that clean cooking, electrification and carbon pricing will play in shaping a low-emission energy future for Kenya. It stood out for its depth of analysis, technical sophistication and policy relevance to real-world sustainability challenges. 

The Gneiss Energy Prize is awarded annually to the student who demonstrates outstanding academic achievement and practical relevance in their dissertation. 

Sharon’s dissertation, “Decarbonizing Kenya’s Energy Sector: Long-Term Policy Scenarios for a Sustainable Future Using the OSeMOSYS–MAED Soft-Linking Approach”, models four policy scenarios to guide Kenya’s transition to a low-carbon energy system.

Sharon, who is fluent in English, Swahili, and Mandarin, is passionate about decarbonising energy and has now moved on from the University of Dundee to complete an internship with the United Nations in Bonn, Germany.

Commenting on the award, Sharon said, “This milestone would not have been possible without the incredible guidance of my supervisor, Dr Wattala Rohan Fernando, external OSeMOSYS specialist Fernando Plazas-Niño, my mentor Dr. Vincent Onyango, and the support of Prof Xiaoyi (Shawn) Mu, Director of CEPMLP, for their tremendous encouragement.” 

Sharon added, “I am deeply grateful to the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy for recognizing my work and deciding to honour me with this award, and my deepest gratitude goes to Gneiss Energy for their generous donation and support.”

Prof Xiaoyi (Shawn) Mu, Professor of Energy Economics and Director, Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy (CEPMLP) said, “Sharon’s passion for climate action, deep technical insight, and commitment to integrating sustainable development and biodiversity conservation made her a clear choice for this year’s award. Her achievement exemplifies the kind of forward-thinking leadership the Gneiss Energy Prize aims to encourage.”

The prize was established in 2022 by CEPMLP and Law School alumnus Jon Fitzpatrick in recognition of the pivotal role the University of Dundee has played in his own career. Its name comes from the energy advisory firm Gneiss Energy which Jon founded in 2016.

Jon Fitzpatrick, Founder and Executive Chairman of Gneiss Energy said, “Sharon has been a standout student, and we are delighted her hard work and dedication has been recognised. She is a very worthy winner of this year’s prize.”