The government has unveiled an ambitious plan to connect 10 million households to piped Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) by 2028, in partnership with the private sector, as part of efforts to accelerate the transition from traditional cooking fuels to cleaner and more affordable energy.
Principal Secretary (PS) for Petroleum Kello Harsama announced the target during the groundbreaking ceremony for a 30,000-metric-tonne LPG terminal being constructed by Asharami Synergy Kenya Limited at the Kenya Petroleum Refineries Limited (KPRL) facility in Changamwe, Mombasa.
The project is expected to strengthen Kenya’s LPG storage and handling capacity, enhance supply chain resilience and expand access to cleaner energy across the country.
The PS said the Head of State had directed the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum to fast-track the transition of households from firewood and kerosene to LPG as part of the government’s broader clean cooking agenda.
According to the 2022 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), a significant proportion of Kenyan households still depend on traditional cooking fuels.
“In total, 68.5 per cent of the population, or 9.1 million households (1.7 million in urban areas and 7.4 million in rural areas), rely on traditional cooking fuel,” the DHS report states.
Harsama affirmed that the government was making steady progress in implementing the National LPG Growth Strategy, which seeks to increase LPG uptake and ensure universal access to clean cooking energy.
He said the government was also engaging the private sector to facilitate the transition of institutions, including schools, hospitals and prisons, from traditional fuels to LPG.
The PS disclosed that approximately 11,000 schools across the country still rely on firewood for cooking, a practice that contributes to environmental degradation and exacerbates the effects of climate change.
“By 2028, we want to ensure 10 million households have access to LPG in collaboration with the private sector. We want to make that a reality. We want to make Kenya self-sufficient in LPG,” Harsama said.
To promote universal access to clean energy and ensure consumers benefit from competitive prices, the government is facilitating the establishment of bulk LPG import, handling and storage facilities to address existing supply gaps.
The Kenya Pipeline Company Limited (KPC) is constructing an LPG import, storage and handling facility at the Kenya Petroleum Refineries Limited (KPRL) site in Changamwe. The facility will provide existing LPG shippers and new market entrants with bulk storage, road and rail tanker loading, as well as cylinder-filling infrastructure, boosting supplies to both local and export markets.
The proposed facility will operate as a common-user installation, allowing interested companies to access LPG through rail-siding, truck-loading and bottling facilities.
The government is also banking on private sector investments to complement its efforts to expand the country’s LPG infrastructure.
In Mombasa, a 25,000-metric-tonne LPG terminal operated by AGOL is already in operation, while another 30,000-metric-tonne facility being developed by Taifa Gas at the Dongo Kundu Special Economic Zone is nearing completion.
In Kilifi County, Lake Gas has completed a 10,000-metric-tonne LPG terminal. The entry of Sahara Group into the market is also expected to strengthen the country’s efforts to achieve universal access to clean cooking gas under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.
“With the one we are launching today, we are making Kenya self-sufficient in LPG in terms of supply and storage,” Harsama said, pledging government support for the project to ensure reliable supplies, lower prices and employment opportunities for local communities.
Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) Director-General Eng. Edward Kinyua welcomed the investment, revealing that indoor air pollution caused by the use of biomass fuels claims approximately 25,000 lives in Kenya annually.
Kinyua reaffirmed the government’s commitment to achieving 70 per cent LPG access by 2028, noting that current LPG penetration stands at 31 per cent, while 71 per cent of the population still relies on biomass fuels.
He, however, noted that the country had made significant progress in LPG consumption, which had increased from 2.3 kilogrammes per capita in 2012 to 8.9 kilogrammes currently.
“Although we have made progress, the figure is still low compared with the government’s ambition of increasing LPG consumption to 15 kilogrammes per capita,” he said.
He added that EPRA had facilitated the adoption of piped gas, with 1,080 affordable housing units already connected through LPG reticulation systems.
Asharami Synergy Kenya Limited Managing Director Bayo Sotomi said the new terminal was expected to be completed within 18 months.
He noted that the investment aligned with the government’s National LPG Growth Strategy, being implemented by the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum to accelerate LPG adoption and expand access to affordable, clean cooking energy for Kenyan households.
“The Government is working towards making LPG more accessible and affordable to citizens across the country through policy interventions, private sector investment and the development of essential infrastructure. This project reaffirms the importance of public-private collaboration in advancing the development of critical LPG infrastructure in Kenya,” Sotomi said.
By Sadik Hassan
