Using biogas improves living conditions and helps to mitigate the effects of climate change. Cooking on biogas is fast and smokeless and means health benefits for the whole family, in particular for women and children. The second product, bio-slurry, is a very good organic fertilizer that increases productivity of crops.
Cooking in Kenya is mainly done on wood and charcoal. This results in the death of over 14,000 people annually in Kenya from air pollution caused by open fire cooking or traditional stoves. Besides, cooking on an open fire emits lots of CO₂ and the stock of resources such as wood and charcoal is rapidly decreasing. To avoid these inconveniences cooking on biogas is an ideal solution. Biogas is a clean way of cooking that significantly improves living conditions and helps beat the negative effects of climate change.
Kenya was among the first countries in Africa to adopt biogas technology in the early 1950’s. However, scaling only occurred with the introduction of the Kenya Biogas Programme in 2009. The overall objective of the Kenya Biogas Programme is to develop a commercially viable biogas sector that supports the use of domestic biogas as a local, sustainable energy source.
The Kenya Biogas Programme (KBP) is implemented by Africa Bioenergy Programmes Ltd (ABPL). The programme was initiated by Hivos, under the umbrella of the Africa Biogas Partnership Programme, a partnership between the Dutch government, Hivos and SNV (Netherlands Development Organization). Hivos founded and strengthened ABPL which has become a strong organization to implement KBP. In 2021 Hivos handed over carbon project development and certification in East Africa to ABPL. FairClimateFund has adopted this project to sell Gold Standard carbon credits in 2022.
Domestic biodigesters provide a way for individual households with livestock to reduce their dependence on polluting firewood and expensive fossil fuels. Cooking on biogas is fast and smokeless. It improves the health of especially women and children. Leftover slurry from the biogas process is an excellent organic fertilizer that can be applied to improve crop yields. Selling more vegetables provides families with extra income.
The approach of brokering partnerships between existing organisations and institutions, as well as starting new construction companies bears fruit. Since 2009 over 18,000 biodigesters have been built across Kenya. Entrepreneurship is encouraged and so far nearly 100 masons have started their own business entities. They receive training tailored to their needs.
1. No poverty
2. Zero hunger
