Kenya National Electric Cooking Strategy (KNeCS)

The transition to modern and clean cooking has been a global agenda, with different countries setting their targets for achieving the same. Kenya aims to achieve its clean cooking targets by 2028. One of the pathways to achieving clean cooking envisioned in Kenya is the adoption and uptake of electric cooking by households. In Kenya, 75% of the households are connected to electricity. However, only 1% of the population currently use electricity as their primary fuel for cooking.

In order to accelerate the adoption of electric cooking, NCIR will facilitate the development of the Kenya National Electric Cooking Strategy (KNeCS). The KNeCS will feed into the overarching National Clean Cooking Strategy which aims to achieve universal clean cooking in Kenya by 2028. The KNeCS will focus on how energy-efficient eCooking technologies can be scaled-up in Kenya with the intended impacts of minimizing the drudgery and health risks associated with the use of solid fuels for cooking, improving environmental sustainability, and stimulating growth in demand for electricity.

Man sourcing firewood as cooking fuel. Photo by Ann Njuguna

The project will involve generating robust evidence and knowledge on eCooking to inform the national strategy development process in order to facilitate rapid diffusion and uptake of eCooking. Among the evidence needed are the mapping and synthesis of the status quo of eCooking in Kenya. Data is being collected and analysed to understand the technological landscape of eCooking appliances and related electrical devices, household and institutional practices of cooking, investments in various cooking technologies (and lack thereof) and consumer financing.

The project is also evaluating how the enabling environment—both on the demand side and the supply side—could potentially evolve to support eCooking scale-up. Currently, opportunities and barriers that exist in the policy framework, cultural and social practices, the supply chain for appliances (including imports, local manufacturing and exports), in market development, and in existing entrepreneurial capabilities. This assignment would develop strategies for bridging these knowledge and capability gaps.

A core part of the assignment is the modelling of development scenarios for eCooking over the next 5 years to directly inform policy action. This effort would entail a robust quantitative assessment of a series of potentially viable development trajectories in eCooking subsector, including what has been termed as ‘business-as-usual’ to more ambitious targets. In collaboration with the main partners in the project, we would select the most viable scenario and develop a feasible and measurable roadmap to achieve it by identifying potential barriers and opportunities, and strategies to overcome or leverage them. This work would not be done in isolation; it would involve intensive consultations and alignment with several pockets of related/parallel work, particularly, the Kenya National Clean Cooking Strategy (KNCCS), and ongoing work on energy systems modelling, among others.

Methodologies

The research project adopts a combination of approaches to deliver the strategy:

Household Survey: Household data will be collected on themes such as household-level energy mixes, appliance ownership and usage, cooking practices, household finance, beliefs, knowledge and attitudes.
Focus group discussions will address questions similar to the household survey to triangulate the findings.
Key informant interviews will be done with relevant stakeholders in with relevant individuals and organisations active in the clean cooking and electrification sectors, including actors in the policy, development finance, commercial and academic spheres.
Stakeholder workshops will be used to validate the findings of the study, and to evaluate and select viable policy scenarios for strategy development.

Focus group discussion- Kilifi County. Photo by Ann Njuguna

Coordination

The KNeCS is supervised by a technical working group (TWG) made up of members from various ministries, governmental institutions, sectoral associations, and development partners. MoEP and MECS jointly serve as co-chairs of the coordination committee.