A new campaign has appealed to the government to take action in widening access to clean and affordable energy.
The Power Up campaign together with other civil society organizations came together on Wednesday in pushing for the proposal saying it is essential in preparing Kenya for climate dangers.
“We are calling on Kenyan leaders to boost resilience and growth by widening access to clean, affordable energy. Action is essential to protect Kenya from growing climate dangers and lay foundations for sustainable development,” they said in a joint press address.
The event was also attended by a representative from the Ministry of Energy Paul Mbuthi who said the government is in full support of the initiative.
He however said the agenda will be in vain if the matter of energy efficiency and clean cooking is left out.
“The government is fully in support of the initiative. The global clean energy 2030 agenda however will not be achieved without addressing energy efficiency and clean cooking,” he said.
Mbuthi said currently, 77 per cent of Kenyans have access to electricity while 23 per cent still lack access.
“Even as we talk about electrification with 77 per cent of the people having access to it, the remaining 23 per cent is also the hardest to electrify, ” he said.
He said that when the conversation on energy arises, many think of electricity yet cooking is also a key issue.
"Today, we face a moment of truth since many Kenyans are said to lose their lives due to lack of access to clean energy," they said.
The Power Up campaign said many in rural areas often cook food using firewood.
This, they said, poses a great danger to many of them who end up developing health complications.
“Many Kenyans lose their lives due to lack of access to clean energy. Rural households rely on either charcoal or firewood as their primary cooking fuel, ”they said.
"How we produce and use energy is one of the factors leading to the climate crisis."
A report by Kenya Medical Research Institute in 2022, confirmed that every year, we lose 23,000 Kenyans to indoor pollution.
They die from cooking with traditional fuels like charcoal and firewood which cause indoor pollution.
The indoor air pollutions come from fossil fuels such as Kerosene, animal dung and even firewood.
The Kenyan Climate Envoy Ali Mohammed on the other hand said the main aim of the state is to have cooking 100 per cent clean as it is currently a big issue.
“The government is committed to the campaign against climate change. Our target is to have clean cooking 100 per cent clean as it is one of the major issues,” he said.
The Power Up campaign also unlocked investments in energy access, presenting nine policy recommendations for the national government.
The policies included tax relief and policy stability for enterprises, subsidies for small-holder farmers and the founding of a government-led technical assistance programme.
They also highlighted the importance of affordable power in driving improved agriculture and other business opportunities.
“In a country where farming creates 30 per cent of Gross Domestic Products and 56per cent of employment, extreme weather and other climate impacts threaten Kenya’s ambition set in its Vision 2030 agenda,” they said.
Power Up is set to champion the policy recommendations in the build-up to Africa Climate Week and Africa Climate Action Summit.
The two events will be taking place in September in Nairobi.