Traditional cooking methods linked to 21,000 annual deaths in Kenya

NAIROBI, KENYA: 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.

This 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.

The Clean Cooking Association of Kenya (CCAK) expects to have 10 million households using clean cooking solutions by 2022 and economically impact at least 7 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 CEO, Clean cooking Association of Kenya.

“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.

“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 decentralised renewable energy and clean cooking technologies,” Maimuna Kabatesi, Program Manager - Hivos, said.

“It is essential for government and non-government actors to support clean cooking technologies during COVID-19 times because households are spending more time indoors, increasing the risk of household pollution,” said Peter Scott, CEO Burn Manufacturers further urging the government to re-evaluate the taxation policies around clean cooking to make Kenya the hub for clean cooking in Africa.

The clean cooking Week is one of the initiatives by the Clean Cooking Association of Kenya (CCAK), to advocate for an enabling environment and catalyse the growth and adoption of clean cooking technologies.

The launch will be followed by a week-long campaign to take stock of the success of the various initiatives by the Clean Cooking Association of Kenya, in conjunction with partners.