This work is based on a random sample survey of 410 solar electricity systems in eight districts in Kenya. Actual technical performance and the perception of the users mere analyzed with a view to determine how real the option of solar electricity is, and what needs to be done to facilitate it further. The survey was carried out by Energy Alternatives Africa, a Kenyan NGO, and financed under the ESMAP(1) program of the World Bank. The article expresses the opinions of the authors and not of their institutions; The authors are solely responsible for the contents.