Many rural households in Kenya still rely on unclean fuels such as firewood, charcoal, and paraffin to cook, driving the national dependence of these fuels to 65.6% – according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).
- About 88.9% of rural households depend on these unclean fuels compared to only 28.5% of urban households.
- Conversely, clean energy fuels like electricity, LPG, Biogas, and Ethanol are used predominantly in urban areas for cooking – recording a 71.5% dependence compared to only 11.1% in rural areas.
- Interestingly, when it came to the most relied fuels for lighting up households, the national average using clean fuels stands at 95.4%.
“Mandera county had the lowest percentage with only 1.2% of the population primarily relying on clean fuels and technologies for cooking. This was followed by Wajir at 2.2%, Garissa at 2.7%, and Turkana at 3.2%,” the survey noted.
Nairobi city led the urban fold with 95.1%, followed by Kiambu at 70%, Kajiado at 56%, and Mombasa at 50.3% – all higher than the national average of 34.4% of clean energy use.
The fuels produce indoor pollution that causes respiratory illnesses, cardiovascular diseases, and eye problems. The survey states that women and children are predisposed to these challenges as they spend more time near cooking areas. Reliance on these fuels also drives up the rate of deforestation, carbon emissions, and environmental degradation.
Most Homes Use Clean Fuels for Lighting, But Barriers Still Exist
Urban areas led with 97.5% followed by rural areas at 94%. The National Grid accounted for the most common source of lighting, at 57.7%, buoyed up by the Rural Electrification Project that started in the mid-2000s. The proportion of rural households powered by the national grid requires intensified efforts as it stands at 37.3%.
“Counties that registered high proportions of households using electricity for lighting from the main grid were Nairobi city, Kiambu, Mombasa, and Murang’a. Most households in West Pokot, Mandera, and Turkana reported battery lamps and torches,” KNBS stated.
The emergence of asset-financing firms like M-Kopa and dLight has also led to the surge of solar-powered electricity in rural households that could not afford these devices in the past. Solar-charged batteries accounted for 29.4% of clean energy fuels for lighting, followed by solar panels at 7.8%.
The country has not fully phased out unclean fuels such as kerosene and candles for lighting. These sources of fuel retain high usage in Vihiga, Nyamira, and Kisii counties while wood fuels are still common in many households in the Northern frontier. The survey reveals that the greatest barrier to using electricity from the national grid is unavailability, followed by the inability to pay and delays in connection.
