From smoke to sustainability, LPG for schools programme timely

Clean cooking conversations in Kenya often revolve around solutions for our homes and businesses. But what about our schools? For decades, there has been a silent crisis unfolding in Kenyan schools, one that is and continues to choke our forests, our children’s health, and our national budget.

Now, picture a typical kitchen in a learning institution. Smoky, soot-filled roofs with chimneys that billow smoke and piles of firewood. Never mind that the kitchen was repainted before school opened in January. You may know that it takes some manual labour to prepare wood prior to preparing any meal. The smoke from the wood has long-term adverse effects on the workers and can easily be termed as an occupational hazard. Those familiar with occupational health and safety laws know the potential legal and financial exposure this may have on the employer (school).

Compare that scenario with a school using Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in the kitchens. No soot, no smoke, no piles of firewood, no splitting of wood, no time off by kitchen staff to recover from persistent colds and coughs due to the effects of wood. This is the vision outlined in the National LPG Growth Strategy and other frameworks, such as the 2024-2028 Kenya National Cooking Transition Strategy.

The National LPG Growth Strategy outlines the LPG programme for institutions of learning as one of its key initiatives. This programme was launched in late 2024, piloted by 20 institutions and to be expanded to 11,000 schools in the country.

The programme is being implemented as a partnership between the government and private sector providers in LPG.  These providers are contracted to install large scale LPG tanks and upgraded kitchen infrastructure in schools and will be contracted to refill the institutions during use. This in itself is a positive step towards promoting LPG businesses in the country, and it contributes to the goal of enhancing the penetration of gas usage from the current 24 per cent to 70 per cent by 2028.

Early adoptions of the LPG for schools programme have already started reporting benefits in economic efficiency. As an example, schools that used approximately KShs 600,000 per term for firewood are now using about KShs 300,000 to 400,000 per term.

After the programme is expanded to other institutions, such benefits will be expanded to scale. The government is further planning to make LPG more affordable beyond tax incentives in place by procuring gas through the Open Tender System to ensure Kenyans access it at competitive prices.

It is therefore imperative that school boards, administrators, suppliers, and local governments come on board and embrace the concept, but under a thorough regulatory guidance.

This is a bold ambition that calls for solid start-to-end infrastructure systems, enabling policies and effective partnerships to help every school in Kenya make the switch to LPG. The investment may appear significant at the outset, but the long-term benefits to health, the environment, and education far outweigh the costs. Tying this all together will be the regulations that promote safety and sustainability in the sector.

The writer is  a senior Gas Officer at the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority