With a cheap cooking gas project initiated by the government, which has enabled poor households to afford clean cooking fuel.
Known as Mwananchi Gas, it is under implementation by the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum through National Oil Corporation.
Gas Yetu package comes with a six-kilogram gas cylinder filled up with cooking gas, along with a burner and grill retailing at Sh2,000.
To qualify for the package, one should register in a booklet provided by National Oil at the local chief’s office. The individual is then provided with the filled out registration form and present it together with their national identification card to the dealer when purchasing the package.
According to the government, the project is expected to improve the penetration of LPG from the present 10 percent to 70 percent in the next three years.
The project is in pilot phase in Kajiado and Machakos counties, after which it shall be rolled out to the rest of the country.
According to Leading Economic Indicators of September from Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, the average price for kerosene retailed at Sh65.33 in September, while charcoal prices averaged Sh81. 86. At the same time, the price of a 13-kilogram cylinder of gas averaged Sh2,094.22, while the small size six-kilogram cylinder was retailing at between Sh800 and Sh1000 during the period.
National Oil is also developing a distribution model that will enable Kenyans in all counties access LPG at their nearest shopping centers through licensed distributors and retailers.
Other proposed objectives of this programme are to reduce respiratory diseases and mortality rates associated with air pollution as a result of the sustained use of firewood and charcoal, uplift quality of life for Kenyan citizens by making clean cooking fuel (LPG) readily available.
It will reduce deforestation as beneficiaries move away from the use of biomass, charcoal, and firewood. The government hopes that through the programme, women, youth and people living with disabilities will take up business opportunities through joining the supply chain as distributors.