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Bernard Gitau @benagitau

The Government has been urged to set aside 15 per cent of affirmative funds to catalyse the growth of the clean cooking sector in Kenya.

It will result in flexible loan requirements for clean cooking innovations and provide funds for targeted gender-focused capacity building and tools to support women entrepreneurs in the sector.

Clean Cooking Association of Kenya (CCAK) expects to have ten million households using clean cooking solutions by 2022 and economically impact at least seven million women in Kenya.

Kenya has an estimated 21,000 deaths annually attributable to household air pollution caused by traditional cooking methods.

Over 70 per cent of households in Kenya still use firewood and charcoal for cooking, with only 30 per cent using modern cooking methods, primarily LPG and others such as biogas, ethanol, ICS, among others.

“To reverse this trend, we need to catalyze the growth of the clean cooking sector, by setting aside a fund equivalent to 15 per cent of the affirmative funds”, said David Njugi, the chief executive, Clean cooking Association Of Kenya.

Clean products

“Recent reintroduction of VAT on clean cooking products retracts the gains the industry has made, and directly affects the poor in society and especially women and children,” he added.

Maimuna Kabatesi, Programme Manager – Hivos, said; “We look forward to seeing the energy needs of households in Kenya met through clean energy, by supporting the development of energy policies and practices that support investment in decentralized renewable energy and clean cooking technologies.”