The County Government of Nakuru is stepping up efforts to accelerate adoption of modern clean-cooking technologies to mitigate effects of climate change and reduce cases of diseases caused by dirty cooking fuels.
The devolved unit administration has committed to formulating, reviewing, and analyzing policy, regulations and guidelines, as well as quality control standards, promotion and development of appropriate renewable energy technologies, capacity building, public awareness creation and research and development of renewable energy technologies.
According to County Director of Environment Grace Karanja the devolved unit’s Department of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources in partnership with the Sustainable Energy Access Association Kenya (SEAA-K) has rolled out a stakeholder engagement forum aimed at strengthening safe and meaningful community participation in clean energy, climate action and conservation decision-making.
Karanja stated that the engagement focuses on embedding clean cooking and renewable energy solutions into climate action plans and advancing the clean cooking agenda.
She pointed out that some of the barriers affecting the adoption of clean cooking technologies within households include limited awareness, affordability and inadequate access to modern clean cooking solutions among low-income families.
The official emphasizes the need for collaboration with partners to equip young people with technical skills and opportunities within the clean energy sector adding that measures needed to be instituted to ensure clean cooking technologies such as energy-saving jikos were accessible and affordable to wananchi to enable low-income households to acquire clean cooking solutions with ease.
The Director indicated that the devolved unit was further conducting a public awareness campaign on promoting clean cooking as a way of supporting the national government’s Clean Cooking Strategy formulated by the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum aimed at keeping Kenya on track to achieving its target of universal access to clean energy by 2028.
The Clean Cooking Strategy is meant to improve Kenya’s access to improved transitional and clean cooking solutions.
Karanja emphasized the importance of understanding the inter-linkages between clean energy access, climate change mitigation and sustainable energy development.
She expressed optimism that the stakeholders’ forum would empower participants with the necessary knowledge to effectively champion clean energy initiatives within their wards.
The Director said overreliance on traditional fires and traditional cookstoves and fuels was one of the most pressing health and environmental problems that called for urgent action.
“This stakeholders’ engagement forum not only advances our County Energy Plan and County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP) objectives, but also reinforces partnerships between government, the private sector, and community stakeholders in addressing climate challenges,” said Ms Karanja.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 84 percent of Kenyan households primarily rely on solid fuels such as wood, charcoal and crop residues that emit toxic fumes and contribute immensely to indoor pollution.
It identifies household air pollution as a global environmental risk, causing some 1.6 million premature deaths per year worldwide.
Karanja said the initiative will empower the Ward Climate Change Planning Committees to promote solutions that include climate friendly efficient biomass stoves and a fuel switch from solid biomass and kerosene to clean and environmentally friendly options.
These options, she elaborated, also include biogas, bioethanol, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), solar photovoltaic (PV) and electric cooking.
Modern cooking stoves are highly efficient and can reduce fuel use by up to 60 percent resulting in fewer emissions of greenhouse gases, added the Director.
Some 59 percent of households in Kenya use traditional fireplaces for cooking while only 30 percent have access to clean cooking solutions.
The Ministry of Health estimates that about 23,000 deaths in Kenya are attributed to household air pollution annually.
Indoor pollution disproportionately affects women, girls and children who spend extended time looking for fuel and cooking meals thereby bearing the brunt of exposure to long hours of a smoky kitchen environment.
Girls do so at the expense of their education, whereas women lose opportunities for social and economic development when they invest a lot of time in fetching firewood.
Karanja noted that modern cooking fuels alleviate the need to extract biomass energy sources such as wood-fuel from forests and ecosystems, thus contributing to the preservation of the environment.
SEAF-Kenya Coordinator Justus Munyoki reaffirmed their commitment to supporting county governments in the rollout of clean cooking technologies and climate-smart energy solutions.
The initiative, he said, marks another step in Nakuru County’s ongoing efforts to promote climate-resilient development and increase access to affordable, clean energy at the grassroots level.
He stated that the stakeholders’ engagement forum will be useful in positively influencing public knowledge, attitudes and social norms related to cooking behaviour in households with respect to climate-friendly cooking solutions.
“Over 93.2 percent of rural households use wood-fuel (fuelwood or charcoal) as their primary fuel, while 30 percent of the population use Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) with only 3 percent of households owning an electric cooking appliance,” he said.
Munyoki added that statistics show that cooking contributes to 70 percent of the Greenhouse Gas emissions in Kenya.
Article 42 of the Constitution guarantees Kenyans the right to a clean and healthy environment achieved through legislative and other measures.
The Coordinator observed that while some Kenyans know the negative impact of cooking smoke, many are not aware of how clean and efficient cook stoves and fuels can benefit them on a daily basis.
He stated the smoke from dirty fuel also contributes to a range of chronic illnesses and acute health impact such as early childhood pneumonia, emphysema, cataracts, lung cancer, bronchitis, cardiovascular disease, and low birth weight.
“As we plan to plant 15 billion trees in 10 years, we must provide clean cooking solutions as 70 percent of Kenyans still depend on our forest for domestic fuel. We must encourage clean cooking innovations for our initiatives to be achievable,” Munyoki said.
Additionally, the Director stated that as a country, Kenya has committed to reducing its greenhouse gases by 32 percent by 2030.
Household cooking using firewood, charcoal and kerosene, she added, is a major contributor to Kenya’s GHG emissions.
by Esther Mwangi
