BOOST IN QUEST TO TRANSITION FROM WOOD FUEL TO CLEAN ENERGY AS IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE DRAWS ROADMAP

By Nicholas Kigondu

The journey for the State Department for Correctional Services to transition all its institutions from wood fuel to clean energy moved closer to reality with the project implementation committee moving to execute the plan after receiving resolutions from the technical working group on the planned transition.

A meeting between Principal Secretary Dr. Salome Beacco and members of the technical working group, drawing members from various government agencies and organizations, was informed that Designs and Bill of Quantities for LPG installation have been done and consolidated while other viable options including biogas, solar-powered systems and induction cooking technologies have also been considered.

Speaking during the meeting, the PS said it was imperative that the transition was successful, noting that the department is among the country’s largest consumers of wood fuel. According to the PS, use of biomass has proved to have the highest operating cost and the greatest health and environmental burden.

The transition will target Kenya Prisons Service and Probation and Aftercare Service facilities within Nairobi and its environs in the first phase before extending to 144 correctional facilities spread across the country.

Among the financing options under consideration include using energy as a service, aggregated procuring, paying as you cook and leasing to own arrangements while carbon financing was identified as a potential mechanism to sustain and expand clean energy systems across correctional facilities.

The initiative is expected to reduce environmental degradation, improve public health, enhance energy security, support Kenya’s low-carbon development agenda, and provide correctional institutions with more efficient, reliable, and environmentally friendly energy solutions. It also aligns with the Kenya National Cooking Transition Strategy (2024–2028) and the Government’s National Tree Growing and Restoration Campaign, which targets the growing of 15 billion trees by 2032.