Public Energy Futures Forum: Unpacking Clean Cooking Developments in Kenya

The Society for International Development (SID), in partnership with Heinrich Boll Foundation, through the Sustainable Energy Futures Project (SEF) hosted the second Public Energy Futures Forum on Wednesday 21 August 2024, under the theme: Unpacking Clean Cooking Developments in Kenya - Challenges and opportunities.

Clean Cooking in Kenya: Challenges and Opportunities

In 2024, the Kenyan government delivered the Kenya National Cooking Transition Strategy (KNCTS) . Through five interconnected action agendas, the strategy aims to guide the country towards achieving universal access by 2028 by transforming the cooking sector in Kenya, focusing on sustainability and profitability.  Leveraging government resource allocations, investments from the private sector, philanthropic contributions and development agency assistance, the strategy recommends creation of a dedicated fund to manage implementation. 

However, challenges/ barriers to uptake, remain. Barriers to uptake and use of clean cooking solutions are complex, interrelated and contextual ranging from policy and regulatory concerns, social-cultural practices, affordability, livelihood practices, technological limitations, lack of awareness and weak or non-existing supply chains. Other factors such as diversity in the technologies and fuels available also play a huge part in influencing the end user. Other challenges highlighted include insufficient capital allocation to the government and other development agencies, gaps in inter-ministerial coordination, failure to adequately enforce regulations, misinterpretation of the role of energy for cooking and lack of integration of cooking into broader sector planning at both county and national levels for financial allocation.  

Opportunities have also emerged in this field. There has been heightened global focus on clean cooking with many governments and development agencies giving support towards addressing barriers to uptake and making commitments to support communities with access to clean cooking. In Kenya, Kenya Power has continued to expand access to the grid-based electricity where about 87% of electricity delivered in 2022 was from renewable sources4, thus addressing distribution challenge to electric cooking. Other opportunities recorded include increase in digital innovations that provide financing platforms for customers to pay for clean cooking products on hire purchase, increase in local companies’ capacity to manufacture and assemble solutions thus also providing employment opportunities to locals and carbon financing. 

Objective of this forum

This forum sought to delve into the current landscape of clean cooking in Kenya focusing on progress made in the last decade, challenges and barriers we still face to uptake and use of clean cooking technologies and fuels and opportunities available. Through a comprehensive dialogue, experts will aim to unpack clean cooking and the role it plays in achieving SDG 7, evaluate the existing policies and regulations, initiatives and strategies available, identify gaps and propose enhancements to strengthen the regulatory framework towards implementation and scaling clean cooking technologies. 

The specific objectives of this forum were:

• To critically evaluate existing policies and regulations governing clean cooking solutions, identify gaps and propose enhancements to strengthen the regulatory framework for effective implementation and scaling of clean cooking technologies. 
• To analyze barriers to uptake and use of clean cooking solutions and explore emerging responsive approaches and opportunities to promote uptake of clean cooking solutions.  
• To develop actionable strategies to not only promote clean cooking solutions but also advance gender equality through women empowerment to increase their economic and educational opportunities and reduce health risks.