DeKUT – CBES takes a lead role in providing technical support for the GCF/EnDev – Climate Friendly Cooking Project in Kenya.
It is estimated that for cooking purposes,about 3 billion people worldwide use solid fuels, including dung, coal, wood, charcoal, and crop wastes. In Kenya, charcoal is used by 82% of urban households and 34% in rural areas. Wood is also widely used in rural areas by about 8.1 million people. As such, charcoal and wood are vital to Kenyan cooking. However, when burnt, they release harmful emissions such as methane and carbon dioxide, all of which cause global warming. Similarly, the combustion of charcoal emits particulate matter which increases cardiovascular and respiratory diseases among its users.Besides causing diseases and greenhouse emissions, the continuous use of charcoal and wood has led to deforestation.
The high emissionsfrom cookstoves are attributed to the poor design of traditional Jikos, which release a lot of harmful gases and particulate matter resulting from incomplete combustion of charcoal. To tackle the challenges associated with charcoal combustion, Improved Cook Stoves (ICS) are designed and fabricated in various production centres across Kenya. Such stoves have proved effective in reducing the emission of greenhouse gases. The ICS is designed to use less fuel than traditional stoves, which helps to save on fuel consumption and consequently reduces costs and deforestation.
Starting in 2005, Energising Development (EnDev) is an international partnership that aims to provide sustainable energy access driven mainly through the partnership of Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland, and is coordinated through the German Cooperation (GIZ) and The Netherlands Enterprise Agency.
“Promotion of Climate-Friendly Cooking in Kenya and Senegal” is a project that promotes clean cooking environments from emissions coming mainly from wood-based fuels in Kenyan and Senegalese households.EnDevKenya has partnered with the Centre for Biomass Energy Studies (CBES) from the Dedan Kimathi University of Technology (DeKUT).
Established in 2019, CBES is an autonomous financially independentcentre operating under the university’s GREEN Institute. The centre’s mandate includes and is not limited to research and consultancy work insustainable biomass production, sustainable bioenergy systems, bioenergyconversion technologies, biomass-based thermal energy systems, biomass solar thermal hybrid systems, energy management/efficiency, and energy audits.
CBES and EnDev Kenya are working jointly to professionalize the ICS production centres and create awareness for consumers (users ofJikos) in Kenya. The project will professionalize ICS production centres by first assessing the needs of all existing production centres. The needs will be satisfied through procurement and provision of professionalization kits and investment packages. In this project, there will be mechanization, tooling, equipping for expansionof the centres and producers will undergo training on machine operation. The project will additionally offer training on ICS production using improved technologies, processes, materials, and health and safety guidelines. As part of GCF’s environmental and social policy, the project has a special focus on gender.To achieve the empowerment of women, the project aims to build capacity and meet their needs as they are predominantlyactive participants in the cooking energy sector. This will promote clean cooking environments by reducing emissions,improving health and providing opportunities for women to engage in income-generating activities. As a way of supporting Micro, Small and Medium-size Enterprises (MSMEs), theProfessionalization of the ICS centreswillcontribute positively to the Kenyan economic transformation targeted in the country’s vision 2030.As part of its research mandate, CBES will evaluate the performance of the stoves produced in these centres for quality assessment at a test laboratory, production centers, and households under the Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI).
The current cooking environments are polluted. Studies have shown that biomass combustion mainly affects the world’s poorest populations, with a big percentage being women and children. Evidence indicates that 1.6 million children in developing nations succumb to chest complications each year. It is important to create consumer awareness on how they can improve and achieve clean cooking environments. To achieve this, the project will develop and pilot clean kitchens and raise awareness on improved kitchen designs and clean cooking environments.
It is hoped that at the project’s end, all its objectives will have been achieved, and the production state of ICS transformed from artisanal to professional level. It is also expected that the air quality of Jiko users will be significantly improved with reduced pollution from charcoal combustion.