Kenya National eCooking Strategy (KNeCS) - Modern Energy Cooking Services

Background

Kenya is currently generating more electricity than it consumes and is expanding and strengthening the national grid progressively, which has resulted in increasing electricity access from 29% to 75% in the last five years. Over 80% of the Kenyan households still rely on biomass fuels for cooking, yet the Household Cooking Sector Study reported that only 3% own an electric cooking appliance. As a result, Kenya is now pursuing an integrated energy plan, which can enable the rapid progress in electrification to drive forward the transition away from biomass cooking. This could make a substantial contribution towards the goal of universal access to clean cooking by 2028 as elaborated in the Kenya Clean Cooking Compact, 2021, thereby accelerating the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7).

To this end, the Ministry of Energy & Petroleum (MoEP) in collaboration with Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS), United Kingdom Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (UK PACT), Agence Française de Développement (AFD), GIZ Energising Development (EnDev) Programme and Climate Compatible Growth (CCG) has sought the services of Nuvoni Centre for Innovation Research to develop a national strategy for eCooking Strategy (KNeCS) and capacity building of MoE on this emerging sector.

The National eCooking Study and Strategy will feed into the overarching National Clean Cooking Strategy 2022-2028. The study will focus on how energy-efficient eCooking technologies can be scaled-up in Kenya noting the benefits to workload and decrease in health risks associated with the use of solid fuels for cooking, improving environmental sustainability, and stimulating growth in demand for electricity.

Dr Elsie Onsongo, Director, Nuvoni Centre for Innovation Research presenting the eCooking Strategy Inception report to members of the eCooking TWG. Photo by Beryl Onjala.

Members of the eCooking TWG. Photo by Beryl Onjala.

Objectives of KNeCS

The eCooking baseline study aims to assess the status quo for eCooking in Kenya and determine the contribution that eCooking could make towards the goal of universal access to clean cooking by 2028.
The eCooking strategy will coordinate with the overarching clean cooking strategy to select the most appropriate scenario from the baseline study and develop a roadmap for how to achieve it.

Coordination

The KNeCS is overseen by a Technical Working Group (TWG) comprised of representatives from different Ministries, national institutions, sectoral associations, and development partners. The coordination committee is co-chaired by the MoEP and MECS.

Publication series

Kenyan National Baseline eCooking Study (KNeCS) Report

Kenya National electric Cooking Study (KNeCS) Workshop Report

Blog Series

Clean Cooking Week Blog- Day 2: Transforming the Enabling Environment

Clean Cooking Week Blog- Day 5: Pika na Power Demonstration Centre

Kenya Community of Practice Blog

Partners

eCooking Capacity Building & Market Development programme (eCAP)

In parallel to the KNeCS, the eCooking Capacity Building & Market Development programme (eCAP) was implemented in partnership with Kenya Power to accelerate the electrification of cooking by developing a pipeline of market ready innovations and building capacity within Kenya Power.

Working under the United Kingdom Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (UK PACT) programme to accelerate the uptake of electric cooking (eCooking) in Kenya, the work was also co-funded by Integrate 2 Zero and MECS.

Twelve separate projects addressed a range of issues to accelerate the electrification of cooking by developing a pipeline of market ready innovations and building capacity within Kenya Power. The projects are listed below, with links to their report.

Project	Implementing Partner	Summary
Consumer Financing for eCooking Appliances – Stima Loan	PowerPay	The viability of utility-enabled financing for eCooking appliances and eMobility was explored, along with the viability of extending Kenya Power’s existing Stima Loan product.
Digital Engagement	Jikoni Magic	Using multiplatform engagement with food bloggers & everyday cooks, this project highlights the aspirational solution of eCooking with energy-efficient appliances for Kenyan cooks.
Kenyanising International Appliances	Jikoni Magic	Utilising the insights from everyday Kenyan cooks, this project provides international appliance manufacturers of eCooking equipment insight into Kenyan cooking culture to benefit how they communicate functionality of their products to consumers.
Intersectoral Dialogue	Clean Cooking Association of Kenya (CCAK)	Bridging the gap between Kenya’s electricity access and clean cooking sectors, a range of activities were delivered in this project to highlight the benefits of eCooking and bring stakeholders together.
Kitchen Energy Audits	SCODE	The development, and piloting, of a methodology for supporting households, businesses, and institutions, to understand the potential impacts of electrifying kitchens. This project offers the consumer advice on how they could switch part, or all, of their cooking to electricity.
Urban Informal Settlements	Nuvoni Centre for Innovation Research	A market scoping study on eCooking opportunities in informal urban settlements in Nairobi to inform a market development intervention to promote access and usage of eCooking appliances to households and (food) businesses in Nairobi.
Scalable Feedback Mechanisms	KPLC’s Institute of Energy Studies & Research (IESR)	Scalable feedback mechanisms will develop an understanding of the contribution of eCooking to demand stimulation within Kenya Power. This will enable them to make evidence-based decisions and adapt their approach to meet an increasing demand.
Institutional eCooking	KPLC’s Institute of Energy Studies & Research (IESR)	The trialling of 60L eCooking devices in the Institute for Energy Studies and Research’s (ISER) canteen shows the benefits of these appliances. With a live feed on energy use, staff and interested stakeholders can see the benefits of cooking on these appliances.
Mobile Demonstration Kitchen	Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC)	A mobile demonstration kitchen will enable the Pika na Power team to deliver live cooking demonstrations across the country. Refitting an existing Kenya Power van with a power supply, cooking equipment, and kitchen furnishings is the first stage of the demonstration plan.
Consumer Awareness for Utility-enabled Financing	Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC)	The piloting of utility-enabled financing schemes raises consumer awareness on the convenience, cost and time savings of modern energy-efficient appliances, as well as highlighting the range of consumer financing options that can break down the high upfront cost of the appliance itself.
Appliance Comparisons (Appliance Testing )	Strathmore University and Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC)	The data from this project (generated via a series of Controlled Cooking Tests (CCTs)), will enable an apples-to-apples comparison of different appliances to assess the relative costs and versatility across a range of commonly cooked Kenyan dishes.
Pika na Power Academy	KPLC’s Institute of Energy Studies & Research (IESR)	The Pika na Power Academy aims to bring together expertise from the clean cooking and electricity access sectors to empower eCooking Champions from across the country to establish sustainable eCooking initiatives in their local area.