Kenya is set to benefit from a grant of USD 20 million (about Ksh2.5 billion at current exchange rates) from Saudi Arabia through the Middle East Green Initiative (MGI) for investment in clean cooking solutions.
The deal overseen by Cabinet Secretary for Environment Aden Duale on Friday, November 22, is set to benefit Kenyans by facilitating the provision of LPG stoves.
The new development came after a meeting between Duale and a delegation from the Saudi Arabian government.
“Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale this morning hosted a Saudi Arabian Government delegation led by Clean Cooking Project Senior Advisor at the Oil Sustainability Programme Dr. Abdul Karim Almutairi in Nairobi,” a statement posted on the Ministry’s X account read.
At the heart of the meeting was the agenda of discussing Kenya’s collaboration with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the transition to clean cooking through accelerated uptake of LPG stoves in the country.
With the grant, the government seeks to implement its Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) climate action plan and sustainable employment creation.
“The LPG stoves initiative aligns perfectly with the Government's administration's BETA plan climate action and livelihoods ambition of creating economic opportunities for women and youth,” the statement stated.
A plan by the Ministry of Energy indicates that the government plans to ensure a 100 per cent transition into clean cooking solutions in the next five years. Out of this, 50 per cent of households should have LPG stoves within that period.
However, current challenges to this plan are affordability, a functional market, and supply. According to the Kenya National Cooking Transition Strategy 2024-2028 Plan, 9.1 million households (1.7 million in urban areas, 7.4 million in rural areas) use traditional cooking fuel options as their primary source.
Aside from the Saudi partnership, Kenya also partnered with Germany to achieve its clean cooking aspirations. The Energising Development (EnDev) project has seen over 9.5 million Kenyans gain access to clean cooking solutions, reducing its overall carbon emissions.
The meeting was held in earnest for next month's 16th Conference of Parties (COP16) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Riyadh (December 2-13). Also, Saudi Arabia's Minister for Energy, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, is set to visit the country next year.
In the meeting, Duale was flanked by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) Director General Mamo Boru Mamo. According to the ministry, the DG briefed the visiting delegation on Kenya's ambitious 15 billion tree-growing programme as well as the country's emerging carbon markets.
