The only way he could generate power was by using a kerosene-powered generator. This was dirty, smelly and dangerous.
But now things are different.
Mr Kibet, a farmer with 15 acres of commercial land on the outskirts of Kitale, has switched to solar-generated electricity which he pays for using his mobile phone.
"I saw it can save you a lot of money," he told the BBC. "It's improved my life, for now I don't use kerosene anymore - I have my own light. And it's bright."
This combination of solar technology and mobile micro-payments is being rolled out across Kenya by a company called M-Kopa Solar.
More than 70,000 households have signed up so far, with 1,000 more joining every week, the company says. And take-up is spreading into neighbouring Uganda.
M-Kopa hopes to be in a million homes by 2018.
