How biogas is transforming lives in rural villages of Kilifi County

 

In the quiet village of Gede, nestled among the makuti-thatched and mud-walled homesteads of rural Kilifi, Margaret Mwaro moves barefoot, her steps gentle across the earthen floor.

She pulls sticks of firewood from a pile beside the wall, strikes a match, and breathes life into the dry twigs. A small flame flutters, then grows, crackling as it takes hold.

Thick grey smoke begins to rise, curling upward in twisting plumes, quickly filling the cramped, windowless kitchen. Outside, faint tendrils of smoke leak through narrow cracks in the mud walls, mixing with the morning air. Inside, Mwaro squints through the haze, her eyes watering as the acrid smoke stings her throat. A cough erupts from deep within her chest, harsh and involuntary. She pulls the edge of her lesso across her nose and mouth in a futile attempt to block the fumes.

“I do this every day,” she says between coughs, her voice raspy and tired. “Sometimes I feel like I’m cooking my lungs more than the food.”

Mwaro’s kitchen tells a story echoed in millions of homes across Kenya. A story of survival through smoke. “I know it’s not healthy,” she says, pausing to stir a bubbling pot. “But what choice do I have? Gas is too expensive, there’s no electricity here, and my biogas can’t cook three meals a day for a whole month. I have to use it sparingly and alternate with firewood,” she adds.

According to the 2019 Kenya Household Cooking Sector Study by the Ministry of Energy, 93.2 per cent of rural households in Kenya still rely on solid fuels like firewood and charcoal for cooking. This isn’t just a matter of tradition; it’s a harsh consequence of poverty, poor infrastructure, and long-standing systemic neglect.

Mwaro shakes her head, her face etched with lines of resilience. “We talk about development, but how can we develop if we’re dying slowly in our kitchens?”

Across the country, kitchens like Mwaro’s become daily battlegrounds where women inhale toxic smoke equivalent to smoking several packs of cigarettes a day. The invisible cost is staggering: household air pollution claims lives silently, causes respiratory diseases, and burdens families with medical bills they cannot afford.

“I was recently diagnosed with chronic eye infections after years of cooking over firewood,” Mwaro says quietly, her tone steady and reflective. “The optician told me I’ll need to wear glasses to manage the damage. On top of that, I’ve been in and out of the hospital with persistent chest problems,” she adds.

According to a 2022 report by the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), approximately 23,000 Kenyans lose their lives each year due to exposure to smoke from cooking with kerosene and firewood. The report equates cooking with these fuels to inhaling the smoke of 100 cigarettes every hour, resulting in household air pollution levels that exceed World Health Organisation (WHO) safety standards by more than 100 times.

Mwaro's story is not unique, but it is urgent. It offers a vivid glimpse into a national crisis smouldering behind millions of closed doors across Kenya.

Nationally, 64 per cent of Kenyan households depend on wood-based biomass. Across Sub-Saharan Africa, the World Bank estimates that 81 per cent of households use woodfuel, with over 850 million people relying on it daily.

This overdependence is not only a public health hazard. It’s an environmental catastrophe.

For Mwaro, years of exposure to smoke caused constant respiratory discomfort and escalating medical bills. "My eyes itched, I coughed all the time, and my chest always felt heavy. The hospital visits became too frequent,” she says. However, everything changed when she discovered biogas.

Mwaro, a dairy farmer since 2000, was introduced to biogas through a training session organised by the Kenya Marine Fisheries and Socio-Economic Development Project (KEMFSED). The idea was simple: convert livestock waste into clean, usable cooking gas.

Her dairy business, built over two decades, provided a steady supply of cow dung. With support from agricultural officers, she installed a small-scale biogas digester linked to her dairy shed. The methane produced now powers her stove, replacing firewood dependence.

“Before, I spent Sh7,000 a month on charcoal and firewood. Now, that money goes into expanding my dairy business. I make Sh2,000 daily from milk sales. That’s Sh60 per litre," said Mwaro.

She’s not just saving money. She’s breathing freely. “No more smoke. No more coughing. I can cook peacefully,” she says with a smile.

KEMFSED donated an extra dairy cow to her household. With more dung, she produces more gas, ensuring a constant supply for cooking and lighting.

But Mwaro’s impact stretches beyond her kitchen. As a local trainer, she now leads women’s groups in learning about biogas technology, helping others break free from the health risks and economic burdens of traditional cooking fuels.

“This is freedom,” she declares. Freedom from smoke, from sickness, and from poverty,” she said.

Still, she is quick to point out a major challenge – the cost. “The installation isn’t cheap – about Ksh 150,000. Most poor households in my village simply can’t afford it,” she said.

Her mission aligns with Kenya’s national priorities. The Kenya National Clean Cooking Strategy (KNCCS) aims for universal access to clean cooking solutions by 2028.

As of 2018, over 90,000 Kenyan households had adopted biogas technology, up from 80,000 the year before. The Kenya Biogas Programme estimates that 1.3 million homes could benefit from biogas if access, training, and funding were scaled up.

Wilfred Kenga Baya, Head of the Energy Division in the Department of Lands, Energy, Housing, Physical Planning, and Urban Development in Kilifi County, underscores the far-reaching benefits of clean energy.

“Access to clean energy is a gateway to better health, stronger livelihoods, and a healthier environment. Biogas is a game-changer. As a county, we are rolling out the Kilifi County Energy Plan (KCEP) 2024–2027, which is designed to expand access to green energy in rural areas across the county,” he said.

Yet adoption remains slow. The high initial cost of installing a digester, limited technical knowledge, and financial barriers are major obstacles.

Kilifi County developed the Kilifi County Energy Plan (KCEP) 2024–2027. The plan supports Kenya’s pledge to Sustainable Development Goal 7: affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.

Kilifi’s plan includes subsidies for improved cookstoves and LPG, public awareness campaigns, partnerships with private innovators, and community pilot projects in biogas and solar mini-grids. The potential is immense.

Despite rich solar, wind, and biomass resources, 83.8 per cent of Kilifi households still rely on woodfuel, 58.1 per cent on firewood, and 25.7 per cent on charcoal.

“The pressure on our forests is alarming. If we don’t act, we will lose both our environment and our health,” said Baya.

Mwaro shares the same optimism, despite the challenges. “If more families could access biogas, our villages would be healthier, greener, and more empowered. I believe the future is in our hands, and it starts with the energy we choose,” she said.

In Kilifi, just 2.5 per cent of households use biogas, a striking contrast to the county’s abundant livestock resources that could support broader adoption.