Residents of Rongai Sub-county have appealed to the government to assist them access affordable renewable energy due to the dwindling firewood, which they rely on for cooking and lighting their homes.
The Women leader, Mrs. Mary Kirui, said the greatest challenge which rural women face currently was lack of clean energy for domestic use. Majority of them still rely on firewood and the smoke has increased cataract problems in the area. She was speaking today during an interview with KNA at Rongai.
“A number of our members have been advised to stop using firewood because of the effect it has on their eyes and lungs but many of them cannot afford kerosene,’’ she said.
Mrs. Kirui asked the government to enable them access solar panels at subsidized prices through their local cooperative societies, since the financial institutions, which were offering the solar loans were too expensive for them.
She added that the current rains were making it ever harder for the women because the little firewood they access was wet and it produces more smoke than the dry ones.
She said some families were eating half-cooked food due to lack of renewable energy, and that was likely to lead to various ailments.
However, some homesteads in the area use biogas, which she said was not accessible to a number of women due to the high cost of fixing it. Biogas mainly utilizes cow dung which is available since many homesteads keep cows.
By Veronica Bosibori
