Kenya Power pushes e-cooking to reduce reliance on wood fuel, gas

Kenya Power, the country’s largest electricity distributor, has announced its plans to promote the adoption of electric cooking (e-cooking) among its 9.2 million customers. The company hopes to increase the number of e-cooking users from about 90,000 to over 500,000 in three years.

The company’s Managing Director & CEO, Dr. Joseph Sim, revealed the initiative during the launch of the Global e-Cooking Coalition (GeCCo) at the Africa Climate Week in Nairobi on Wednesday.

“Electricity has traditionally been viewed as the expensive cooking alternative by many Kenyans. Middle-class households often own task-specific electric cooking appliances such as kettles or microwaves but rely on liquefied petroleum gas for the bulk of their cooking. However, this is no longer the case as recent studies have shown. There is, therefore, an enormous untapped potential for e-cooking in the country,” said Dr. Sim.

Recent data show only 1% of Kenya Power’s electricity customers use it for cooking, with most Kenyans still primarily using wood fuel and gas stoves.

The Global eCooking Coalition is an initiative to accelerate the transition from traditional cooking methods to electric cooking in homes and businesses. Members include the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, Modern Energy Cooking Services, Sustainable Energy for All and Energizing Development.

“Kenya Power will work with partners to drive the uptake of e-cooking across the country. The utility has partnered with several organizations including Modern Energy Cooking Services, the African Centre for Technology Studies and the Clean Cooking Association of Kenya to champion e-cooking in Makueni, Kitui, Nakuru, Kakamega and Kisumu counties,” Sim said.

Through its Pika na Power public awareness campaign, Kenya Power aims to educate customers on e-cooking benefits to boost adoption.

The company has demonstration centers in Nairobi, Kisumu, Nakuru and Mombasa to promote electric cooking nationally.