Chang’aa stoves (Alcohol/ethanol stoves)

Introduction
Kenya’s electrification rate is very low (at about 20% country wide, 51% in urban area and 4% in rural areas). As a result, majority of Kenyans (about 68%) rely on biomass (wood fuel and charcoal) for primary energy needs. This for sure has impact on our environment as a result of deforestation and carbon emissions due to unsustainable management of our forest cover (NB: Kenya has a forest cover of about 2% as opposed to the required 10% or more ).

Access to clean energy to most of vulnerable Kenyans is therefore a dream. This adds to the bigger basket of other socio-economic and health problems affecting our society. The question is: Will we ever reduce the burden of this basket? The answer to this question is absolutely YES. However, it requires our commitment and hard work. Furthermore, the solutions are with us and we should therefore not rely on anybody to bail us out.

Case to consider “a case of Chang’aa stove”

Ethanol or alcohol stoves have been developed and implemented in other parts of world for example in India (which should be one of our first role models in development). Such stoves have a big potential of mitigating the twin problem of drinking as well as clean cooking for those who are not accessing electricity or cannot afford LPG. In addition, ethanol stoves do not require high grade ethanol in order to operate and they are easy to operate. The only problem is the high unit cost which can surely be lowered down in case they are produced in mass.

Kenya has been grappling with myriad of problems regarding illicit brew for a very long time and unfortunately the problems mainly affect the poor who also lack clean energy services among other basic services.

Production of chang'aa - dirty and illegal

One way of mitigating this problem is finding a way of diverting the illicit alcohol (Chang’aa) from the people. This may be possible through the introduction of Chang’aa stoves which on one hand will reduce the alcohol available to people and on the other hand creating job opportunities (production and selling of stoves and chang’aa fuel in a commercial and civilized manner).

This is a very weird proposal but in my opinion such ideas are required in Kenya. Ideas, though borrowed from elsewhere, are tailored to fit to the society. By the way, they may render Mututho to revise his stringent Mututho rules (i.e. Alcoholic Drinks Control Act 2010 regulations).

Clean and civilized production of Chang'aa

Ethanol stove (source: Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute (NARI))