Abstract
Kenya is facing a formidable cleaning cooking challenge. The burden of cooking in the current situation includes health, climate and environmental impacts, gender disparities, time constraints, and economic burdens. It was found that 23,000 deaths are attributed to household air pollution, and 8-11 million tons of woody biomass are lost due to deforestation.To address these challenges, the adoption of E-cooking and LPG as alternatives to charcoal and wood fuel was explored. Kenya, with its current 87% electricity access, aims to achieve Universal Clean Cooking Access by 2028.Using the OnStove Modelling Tool, two scenarios were investigated: the M-gas private scenario and the E-Cooking social scenario. The M-gas scenario involved providing gas cylinders, smart meters, and cookers at no cost, with small payments made using mobile banking. The E-Cooking scenario analyzed the preference for electricity, considering surplus power, electricity tariffs, and taxation. The results showed that the M-gas scenario, with a higher discount rate of 15%, offers a pay-as-you-go business model to reduce the initial cost and improve access to clean cooking using LPG. The E-Cooking scenario, with a lower discount rate of 3%, highlighted the need to refine policies regarding electricity tariffs and taxation to make electricity more affordable. The conclusions and policy insights included implementing the Pay As You Go business model for M-gas, extending the Pika na Power program to rural areas, integrating clean cooking with electrification programs, and advocating for government intervention in refining electricity tariff policies.
