Deputy President William Ruto has pledged to eliminate wood fuel in Kenyan households should he win the presidency.
Speaking during the signing of the Kenya Kwanza Women charter at Nyayo Stadium on Friday, Ruto said this will be part of his endeavor to create a clean environment.
"I commit to ensuring availability of clean, safe, and environmentally friendly and affordable cooking fuels and eventually eliminate the use of firewood and charcoal for cooking," Ruto said.
He said he envisions achieving this by putting in place a government program built around making cooking gas available to Kenyan women.
Should the DP hold his end of the bargain if he wins the August 9 polls, the program, if fully implemented, will be heaven-sent to a majority of Kenyan households who rely on wood fuel.
Surveys indicate that at least 75 percent of Kenyan households use wood as their primary source of energy.
The Kenya Cooking Sector Report says a majority of these users (93.2%) are rural populations.
"This means that there is a need to deeply look into the clean cooking sector and visualize a shift to alternatives for all populations, especially vulnerable populations," the report reads in part.
Other than saving Kenyans the hustle that comes with preparing meals using charcoal or firewood, clean cooking solutions will support Government's vision to restore Kenya’s forest cover to 10 percent up from the current 7 percent.
It will also reduce Household Air Pollution (HAP) brought about by cooking using inefficient solutions.
Firewood and charcoal emit harmful gases such as methane, carbon monoxide, and black carbon which all pose health risks to humans.
HAP is one of the largest health risk factors for mortality in Kenya with about 21,560 deaths attributed to it annually.
This makes the introduction of clean cooking methods a matter of national priority.
