Kenya’s liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) consumption reduced in 2023 to 6.8 kg per capita compared to 8 kg registered in 2022 due to the rising cost of the fuel, a senior government official said on Friday.

Davis Chirchir, the cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, told a forum in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, that the country is wholly dependent on imported LPG, and weaker shilling in 2023 increased its retail price to consumers.

“The high cost of LPG pushed more low-income households to rely on firewood, charcoal and kerosene for cooking,” Chirchir said during the national stakeholder workshop on the LPG growth strategy.

Daniel Kiptoo, the director-general of the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority, said that Kenya is promoting the uptake of LPG because it is a clean fuel that emits fewer pollutants compared to biomass-burning stoves.

Kiptoo said to reverse the decline in household consumption of LPG, the government has allocated Sh2.4 billion (about $16.48 million) to subsidise the purchase of LPG cylinders by 4.5 million low-income households.