<div dir="ltr"><div><div style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:colfaxregular,"avantgardegothicitcw01b 731069","nimbus sans tw01",Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><p style="margin:0px 0px 15.6px;color:rgb(93,93,93);font-size:1.1em;font-family:georgia,"itc century w01 light";line-height:2">''Petroleum Institute of East Africa General Manager Wanjiku Manyara said the country has done so much to push for the use of LPG to the extent that it would be “shocking” to have someone still promoting the use of firewood or charcoal.</p></div><div style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:colfaxregular,"avantgardegothicitcw01b 731069","nimbus sans tw01",Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><p style="margin:0px 0px 15.6px;color:rgb(93,93,93);font-size:1.1em;font-family:georgia,"itc century w01 light";line-height:2">“They are not solving anything by promoting use of biomass because even the current pandemic has showed us that one is more vulnerable when they already have a compromised lung due to respiratory infections largely caused by indoor pollution. We’re losing 21,600 Kenyans per year according to a report the ministry itself presented last year. It would be ridiculous that these contradictions exist in a country where everything has been put right to deepen the use of LPG, including regulations and local manufacturing of gas cylinders,” Ms Manyara said.</p></div><div style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:colfaxregular,"avantgardegothicitcw01b 731069","nimbus sans tw01",Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><p style="margin:0px 0px 15.6px;color:rgb(93,93,93);font-size:1.1em;font-family:georgia,"itc century w01 light";line-height:2">She blamed the international community for promoting the use of the charcoal stoves branded as clean cook stoves, which, she said, are misleading as the prototype presented as useful in reducing pollution is quite different from what is actually sold to households.</p></div><div style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:colfaxregular,"avantgardegothicitcw01b 731069","nimbus sans tw01",Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><p style="margin:0px 0px 15.6px;color:rgb(93,93,93);font-size:1.1em;font-family:georgia,"itc century w01 light";line-height:2">According to the PIEA boss, the World Bank and other NGOs promoting the use of the so-called clean cookstoves should direct similar energy towards driving the adoption of LPG because economically, the costs are the same as those of the six-kilogramme cylinder and burner.</p></div><div style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:colfaxregular,"avantgardegothicitcw01b 731069","nimbus sans tw01",Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><p style="margin:0px 0px 15.6px;color:rgb(93,93,93);font-size:1.1em;font-family:georgia,"itc century w01 light";line-height:2">Several NGOs are said to be supporting the Renewable Energy Department in training local artisans to produce the household firewood stoves in Lodwar. Organisations such as the World Food Programme, Practical Action and US African Development Foundation have been involved in the wood-driven cooking solution.</p></div><div style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:colfaxregular,"avantgardegothicitcw01b 731069","nimbus sans tw01",Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><p style="margin:0px 0px 15.6px;color:rgb(93,93,93);font-size:1.1em;font-family:georgia,"itc century w01 light";line-height:2">“WFP funded institutional clean cookstoves in approximately 40 percent of schools across Lodwar and Turkana county since 2011. Deep field presence makes NGOs good partners for distribution and outreach/education activities,” the World Bank wrote in the report targeting cooking energy in Lodwar and Turkana in 2017.</p></div><div style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:colfaxregular,"avantgardegothicitcw01b 731069","nimbus sans tw01",Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><p style="margin:0px 0px 15.6px;color:rgb(93,93,93);font-size:1.1em;font-family:georgia,"itc century w01 light";line-height:2"><span style="font-weight:700">RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS</span></p></div><div style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:colfaxregular,"avantgardegothicitcw01b 731069","nimbus sans tw01",Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><p style="margin:0px 0px 15.6px;color:rgb(93,93,93);font-size:1.1em;font-family:georgia,"itc century w01 light";line-height:2">Another NGO, Lokado, is said to be actively producing a wood burning stove, Maendeleo, that is distributed free of charge in Kakuma. The NGO is supported by UNHCR, which has also contracted it to procure firewood that is donated to refugees in 10kg bundles per family member every two months, according to the World Bank report.</p></div><div style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:colfaxregular,"avantgardegothicitcw01b 731069","nimbus sans tw01",Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><p style="margin:0px 0px 15.6px;color:rgb(93,93,93);font-size:1.1em;font-family:georgia,"itc century w01 light";line-height:2">The clash in the clean energy cooking agenda also increases the burden on the Ministry of Health, which will now continue battling respiratory infections such as pneumonia and acute bronchitis said to be largely contributed by household pollutions and causing significant loss of lives in the country.</p></div><div style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:colfaxregular,"avantgardegothicitcw01b 731069","nimbus sans tw01",Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><p style="margin:0px 0px 15.6px;color:rgb(93,93,93);font-size:1.1em;font-family:georgia,"itc century w01 light";line-height:2">The ministry considers acute lower respiratory infections to be the second largest cause of death and are linked to 26 per cent of all deaths reported in hospitals in Kenya.</p></div><div style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:colfaxregular,"avantgardegothicitcw01b 731069","nimbus sans tw01",Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><p style="margin:0px 0px 15.6px;color:rgb(93,93,93);font-size:1.1em;font-family:georgia,"itc century w01 light";line-height:2">Government doublespeak on clean cooking energy has been one of the greatest set backs in eliminating the use of biomass for cooking. Last year State House left many in shock after it advertised a tender for the supply of charcoal after the government banned logging.''</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 15.6px;color:rgb(93,93,93);font-size:1.1em;font-family:georgia,"itc century w01 light";line-height:2"><a href="https://www.nation.co.ke/business/Puzzle-of-two-energy-dockets-pushing-conflicting-agenda/996-5549382-dmvs96/index.html">https://www.nation.co.ke/business/Puzzle-of-two-energy-dockets-pushing-conflicting-agenda/996-5549382-dmvs96/index.html</a>   <br></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 15.6px;color:rgb(93,93,93);font-size:1.1em;font-family:georgia,"itc century w01 light";line-height:2"><br></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 15.6px;color:rgb(93,93,93);font-size:1.1em;font-family:georgia,"itc century w01 light";line-height:2"><br></p></div></div><div><br></div><br clear="all"><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><font face="arial narrow, sans-serif">Teddy Kinyanjui</font></div><div><font face="arial narrow, sans-serif">Sustainability Director</font></div><div><font face="arial narrow, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3YUMG1TTODQ/Wh6o8gWfRmI/AAAAAAAAAyw/1bp5qqpvmwQwg5JXqL7hz-OLGSx5nSEXgCK8BGAs/s512/TK%2BEmail%2BLogo.jpg" width="200" height="100"><font face="arial narrow, sans-serif"><br></font><font face="arial narrow, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="arial narrow, sans-serif">            <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CookswellJikos" target="_blank"><img src="https://images2.imgbox.com/97/28/BgG0H6ZN_o.png"></a>  <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cookswelljikos" target="_blank"><img src="https://images2.imgbox.com/54/7e/owicmXIG_o.png"></a>  <a href="https://twitter.com/cookswelljikos?lang=en" target="_blank"><img src="https://images2.imgbox.com/64/b1/oh4tfzkH_o.png"></a><br></font></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><div style="font-size:small"><br></div></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br><br><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>