Kenya’s clean cooking sector has received a major boost after the German government, in partnership with the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum and other stakeholders, handed over seven brand new pick-ups and 35 three-tonne five-wheeler tuk-tuks worth KSh 68 million (EUR 456,100) to last-mile entrepreneurs.
Professionalising the cookstove sector
The investment, part of the Promotion of Climate-Friendly Cooking in Kenya project, aims to accelerate the uptake of improved cookstoves across the country through a market transformation approach.
Co-financed by the German Government, the Green Climate Fund (GCF), and the Government of Kenya. The initiative is designed to professionalise the cookstove production and distribution value chain, moving it from largely artisanal to more structured, high-output operations.
Speaking at the handover event, the German development cooperation representative said the project reflects Germany’s commitment to supporting Kenya’s climate-friendly energy transition. “We appreciate the relentless efforts of beneficiary entrepreneurs and the State Department of Energy for being a reliable partner in the last five years,” the representative noted.
Boosting rural and peri-urban access
The distribution vehicles, seven pick-ups for producers and 35 tuk-tuks for wholesalers — will be used to reach underserved rural and peri-urban markets.
The equipment, exclusively funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), is expected to significantly reduce transport costs, making improved cookstoves more affordable to households.
According to the project criteria, only producers and distributors with strong performance records over the last five years qualified for the investment.
Eligible business-class producers had to demonstrate an average monthly output of at least 1,000 improved cookstoves. Compliance with Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) requirements, and no affiliation with other ODA- or carbon market-funded programmes. Beneficiaries also contributed 16 per cent VAT directly to the Kenya Revenue Authority.
Impressive impact since 2020
The Promotion of Climate-Friendly Cooking in Kenya project has been running since March 2020 and is set to conclude in September 2025. With a total budget of EUR 25.8 million (KSh 3.85 billion) for the Kenya component, it has expanded operations from 12 counties to 40 and helped increase annual improved cookstove sales from 250,000 in 2019 to over 850,000 in 2024, surpassing Kenya’s NDC target for improved biomass stoves by 117 per cent for the 2020–2024 period. Currently, 22 business-class producers account for 65 per cent of annual stove sales nationwide.
However, the project also works with more than 2,000 last-mile entrepreneurs, of which 238 wholesalers handle 53 per cent of the national distribution.
Training, testing, and policy support
Beyond equipment provision, the initiative has equipped over 120 producers with professionalisation kits, supported the establishment of four stove testing laboratories, trained 520 last-mile entrepreneurs, and facilitated more than KSh 200 million in credit access for over 20 stove businesses. It has also contributed to key policy frameworks, including the Kenya National Cooking Transition Strategy and several county energy plans.
With the new vehicles in circulation, stakeholders expect to see stronger market penetration, increased household adoption of clean cooking solutions, and measurable contributions to Kenya’s climate mitigation and socio-economic development goals.