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Institutional Stoves in Kenya by Dominic Walubengo et al.

Boiling Point
Issue 15 (1988) Stove Progress in Kenya and Sri Lanka
Article	Institutional Stoves in Kenya
Author	Dominic Walubengo, Stephen Joseph?

1. To carry out a detailed study of the energy and kitchen needs of a range of public and private institutions.
2. Test existing institutional stove designs.
3. Design and test improved stove designs and stove materials.
4. Provide technical assistance to institutions to build new stoves, or to manufacturers to produce and distribute improved stoves.
5. To develop a programme to design improved, low cost, more hygienic kitchens will also be undertaken.
6. To disseminate the results of this research work.

[top] [end]Summary of Tests Results

• There are approximately 5,000 hospitals, schools, colleges, prisons and dispensaries in Kenya. The larger institutions have to prepare meals for up to 1,100 people per day, while the smaller institutions have to prepare meals for only 30.
• Most institutions use a range of fuels which include gas, electricity, kerosene, charcoal and wood. The Beijer Institute Study (1984) suggests that well over 50% of institutions' energy needs are met by wood and charcoal. Total consumption of fuelwood could be in the order of 700,000 tonnes per year, and there is strong evidence to show that more institutions are switching from petroleum products to wood and charcoal due to both the increased price of petroleum fuels and their frequent unavailability. As the price of charcoal continues to increase at a faster rate than that of wood, it is probable that more institutions will continue to switch to fuelwood.
• The consumption of fuelwood varies in these institutions from 10 to 60 tonnes per month (average 50-60 kg/person/month) and of charcoal 3 to 11 tonnes per month (average 10 kg/person/month). The cost of charcoal is now 2,000 Kenyan shillings (Ks) per tonne; wood costs 120 to 200 Ks per tonne if bought in bulk. Busia District Hospital currently uses 55.5 tonnes of charcoal per year at a total cost of Ks 110,000. Ngiya High School uses approximately 396 tonnes of wood at a cost of Ks 48,000.
• Most institutions use open fires to burn wood, and the traditional metal/ceramic Jiko to burn charcoal. These devices are much less fuel-efficient than more modern appliances. There are a number of manufacturers who are producing commercial wood and charcoal stoves that are claimed to be more fuel efficient than the open fire and metal charcoal stove. The improved charcoal stoves cost less than 1,000 Ks but the manufactured wood stoves can cost more than 10,000 Ks.
• Many institutions were built with kitchens that could not accommodate open fires or metal charcoal stoves (Jikos) - gas or electric cookers having been placed in poorly ventilated and crowded rooms. Charcoal stoves were often placed in small spaces around existing gas or electric stoves and cooks complained of "thermal exhaustion" resulting from excessive heat radiating from the walls, and headaches resulting from high emissions of carbon monoxide. In some cases, temporary kitchens had to be constructed so that wood could be burnt on open fires, thus leading to a decrease in the standard of hygiene.
• Most cooks are not aware of methods of saving energy through changing their method of cooking, such as soaking beans before cooking, using lids on pots or reducing the level of the fire when the food has come to the boil. They have fairly fixed ways of cooking food and any changes in kitchen or stove design, or cooking methods, should come after close collaboration and consultation with them.
• Most heads of institutions do recognise the need to save energy. However, they do not see expenditure on new or more hygienic kitchens as a priority.
• At present, institutions do have the necessary finance to purchase improved charcoal stoves, as the savings in fuel in the first year would more than cover the cost of the stove. However, this is not the case for improved woodstoves. Most institutions will need at least two stoves and some as many as six. These new stoves, without changes in cooking habits, will not save more than 30% over the open fire. For a High School it is likely that the payback period for the new stove would be two to four years. At present, many institutions do not have the necessary capital to purchase the stoves unless the payback period is less than one year.
• A large number of the institutional directors were not aware that there are two engineering companies and one non Government organisation that now sell improved stoves.
• Some institutions had, through their own efforts, been able to improve on their existing stove designs or build their own stoves in order to drastically reduce their fuel bill.

[top] [end]Product Development

[top] [end]Marketing Programme

[top] [end]Contents: Boiling Point 15: Stove Progress in Kenya and Sri Lanka

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Page created: 28 August 2008; Last edited: 01 September 2008; Version: 0
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