SolarNow, once considered a pioneer in East Africa’s off-grid solar sector, is facing liquidation after years of ambitious growth, international backing and over $29 million in funding. A formal creditors’ voluntary liquidation process has been initiated for its Kenyan subsidiary, SolarNow Services (K) Limited, raising questions about the future of the company’s operations across the region.
According to a special resolution passed on May 13, 2025, and filed under Kenya’s Insolvency Act (№18 of 2015), the company’s shareholders resolved to wind up the firm via a creditors’ voluntary liquidation. An official meeting of creditors is scheduled to be held virtually on May 27, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. Creditors have been instructed to confirm attendance and will be provided a list of all registered creditors ahead of the meeting.
The Official Receiver has been nominated as the liquidator, pending creditor approval.
Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Kampala, Uganda, SolarNow positioned itself as a for-profit social enterprise focused on delivering modular solar systems and appliances — including TVs, refrigerators, water pumps, and LED lighting — to off-grid households and businesses in Uganda and Kenya.
At its peak, the company operated 55 branches with over 850 staff members across the region, serving more than 35,000 customers. SolarNow’s model combined distribution, financing, and maintenance — offering up to two-year financing and five-year service guarantees. Its credit repayment rates exceeded 97%, and the company was widely praised for its rigorous credit management and high levels of customer satisfaction.
Between 2014 and 2019, SolarNow attracted substantial international investment. The firm raised funding from major impact and climate investors such as Acumen Fund, Novastar Ventures, Shell Ventures, Oikocredit, responsAbility Investments AG, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Mastercard Foundation, and UK Aid Direct.
In 2017 and 2019, the company secured structured receivables financing from SunFunder, including a landmark $9 million debt facility arranged in partnership with responsAbility and Oikocredit. These facilities were aimed at scaling the deployment of pay-as-you-go and lease-to-own solar systems to thousands of rural customers across Uganda.
“We are proud to have backed SolarNow’s growth delivering top quality solar systems and appliances throughout Uganda,” said Surabhi Visser, Director of Investments at SunFunder, in a 2019 press release marking the fifth anniversary of their collaboration.
Despite this high-profile backing, the company’s trajectory has taken a sharp downturn in recent years. The liquidation notice in Kenya appears to confirm months of speculation about operational challenges and cash flow issues. SolarNow’s official website has gone offline, and email accounts used for customer support and investor communications are no longer active.
Efforts to reach the company’s management for comment have so far gone unanswered.
It remains unclear what the status of the company’s Ugandan operations is, or whether similar liquidation proceedings are underway there. Sources close to the matter suggest that investor relations have also gone quiet, with several backers no longer publicly commenting on the company.
The firm’s last known CEO, Willem Nolens, had in the past expressed confidence in SolarNow’s model, citing the company’s ability to select reliable customers and provide excellent after-sales service as the backbone of its long-term sustainability. In light of recent developments, those assumptions are now under scrutiny.
SolarNow’s liquidation signals a broader concern in the African off-grid energy space: even well-capitalized and internationally lauded ventures are vulnerable to market, operational, and macroeconomic risks. While off-grid solar remains an essential tool for electrification across Africa, the business models — especially those relying heavily on financing and rural last-mile distribution — are increasingly being tested.
The company was among a group of early movers that proved solar energy could be deployed commercially to underserved communities. Its failure to sustain operations, despite strong investor confidence and sectoral support, may cause investors to reassess risk thresholds for similar ventures.
As the industry matures, players are being forced to contend not just with scaling technology and customer acquisition, but also with navigating currency volatility, inflationary pressures, repayment risks, and uncertain policy environments.
With SolarNow’s future hanging in the balance, stakeholders across the sector will be watching closely. The liquidation meeting in Kenya may shed more light on what went wrong — and what it means for the future of clean energy ventures in Africa.