Several homes and institutions in Kajiado have benefitted from the Ministry of Energy, Domestic Biogas Programme.
According to the Programme’s Kajiado County Coordinator, Elizabeth Mbuthia, the aim of the programme is to phase out the use of charcoal and firewood by the households.
“In support of the Big Four Agenda, the Ministry of Energy rolled out the Domestic Biogas Demonstration Programme to create awareness on how to convert cow dung into energy,” says Mbuthia.
Mbuthia said that the programme is highly effective in ensuring farmers adopt the green technology.
Through the programme, farmers benefit from the primary product which is the biogas and the by-product which is referred to as the bio slurry.
“If communities embrace the use of bio-digesters, deforestation will reduce since there will be no need for charcoal and firewood usage. Organic farming will also be on the rise as bio slurry is an effective fertilizer which greatly improves crop productivity,” said Mbuthia.
Mbuthia adds that biogas is a clean, smokeless fuel and this improves the household health and sanitation unlike when they use firewood, charcoal and kerosene.
One of the beneficiaries, in Kajiado East Sub County, Moses Mutunkei says that the project has come in handy in helping him cut costs especially now when the cost of living has gone up.
“Ever since the government installed biogas in my home, the costs of buying charcoal and firewood have really gone down as I now have a reliable source of energy provided I feed the bio digester with water and cow dung,” said Mutunkei
The elated Mutunkei reveals that unlike before, meals now get ready faster in the smokeless kitchen.
“My wife now doesn’t spend a lot of time lighting a jiko or collecting firewood. All she has to do is to ensure that the bio digester has been fed with the correct mixture of dung and water which doesn’t consume much of her time and energy like the search for firewood.” said Mutunkei
Schools that have already benefited from the programme in Kajiado are Baraka Oontoyie Secondary school and Matasia Girls secondary.
Mbuthia notes that through the programme, the students learn how to conserve the environment through clean cooking and in turn pass the message to their communities once they are back home.
The government installed the biogas for free and will use the homes as demonstration sites for other farmers who might be interested in the programme.
By Diana Meneto
