President William Ruto's Cabinet Approves KSh1.1 Billion Electric Cooking Programme

The Cabinet chaired by President William Ruto approved a KSh1.1 billion electric cooking programme for households in Nairobi, Kiambu, Machakos and Kajiado counties, according to a dispatch dated Friday, October 9.

The initiative is designed to facilitate the uptake of 100,000 electric cooking appliances and is presented as a measure to promote cleaner cooking, lower household exposure to harmful smoke and speed the shift to modern energy technologies.

The dispatch stated, “The Cabinet-endorsed initiative will promote cleaner cooking, reduce household exposure to harmful smoke and accelerate the transition to modern energy,” and added that the programme will cost the government about KSh1.1 billion.

It further noted, “About KSh1.1 billion electric cooking programme will support the uptake of 100,000 electric cooking appliances in Nairobi, Kiambu, Machakos and Kajiado counties.”

The release did not clarify whether the appliances will be provided free of charge, sold at subsidised rates or distributed through other mechanisms, nor did it give a start date or eligibility criteria for residents.

President Ruto has highlighted clean cooking as a central element of Africa’s green transition, and Kenya targets universal household access to clean cooking by 2028 under the Kenya National Cooking Transition Strategy.