Gas cylinder drive: Goodbye killer firewood smoke

Ms Joyce Kinoti from Githongo in Meru has been using firewood for cooking for years, always struggling with teary eyes and chest pain due to smoke.

Preparing a meal for her family has been a struggle, starting with fetching firewood, preparing the pieces of wood for use and battling with smoke, especially when the wood is not well dried.

“Firewood is rare these days. I also suffer a lot due to the smoke because most of the time they are not dry,” Ms Kinoti says.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), close to four million people die of illnesses attributed to household air pollution caused by cooking stoves that use firewood and kerosene.

The Kenya Household Cooking Sector Study of 2019 states that about 21,560 deaths are caused by household air pollution every year.

Indoor pollution

WHO indicates that about half of pneumonia cases among under-fives are caused by soot inhaled from indoor pollutants.

Household air pollution is blamed for diseases such as pneumonia, stroke, ischaemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer.

Luckily for Ms Kinoti, she has escaped the suffering of firewood smoke courtesy of a clean cooking fuel initiative by Abothuguchi West Women Empowerment, a community-based organisation (CBO).

Through support from Meru government’s Twaweza programme, Patrick Muthuri Foundation and SEAgas, more than 1,000 women are set to receive six-kilogramme gas cylinders that will be refilled at subsidised prices.

Speaking during the launch of the initiative at Githongo Vocational Training Centre on Monday, the CBO’s chairperson Beatrice Mburugu said they intend to save women from diseases caused by indoor pollution.

“We are giving gas cylinders to 700 women in the first phase of this initiative. We want to uplift the quality of life as well as conserve our forests. Abothuguchi West borders the Mt Kenya forest and we need to be part of those conserving this natural resource and slowing down climate change,” Ms Mburugu said.

5,000 to benefit

Abothuguchi West MCA Patrick Muthuri, who is also the patron of the CBO, said they target to distribute gas cylinders to 5,000 households in the next three years. He said every member is required to register with Sh1,000 before receiving a cylinder, burner and grill valued at more than Sh5,000.

“Our mothers have suffered for long because of indoor pollution. This is what we want to address through subsidised gas cylinders. We have engaged SEAgas, an LPG company, to subsidise the refilling price for the CBO members,” Mr Muthuri said.

He said the initiative will see the use of clean cooking fuel in the area rise from one per cent to more than 10 per cent.

Mr Muthuri called on the government to reconsider the recent introduction of 16 per cent VAT on Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) that led to a sharp rise in prices and prompted many Kenyans to revert to firewood and charcoal.

According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics 2019 census, firewood was the most commonly used type of cooking fuel at 55.1 per cent of the households, followed by LPG at 23.9 per cent.

Kenya has committed to ensuring universal access to modern energy by 2030 through the UN’s Sustainable Energy for All and Sustainable Development Goal 7 on affordable and clean energy.

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