Fuel Choices in Urban Kenyan Households

Abstract

In the developing nations of Sub-Saharan Africa, providing households with modern energy services is a critical step towards economic development. A significant proportion of households in Kenya rely on traditional biomass fuels for domestic use. The disadvantages of these fuels are many. Transition to clean fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas or electricity would resolve many of these issues as they do not produce dangerous particulate emissions, and are commercially viable, offering several socio-economic advantages over traditional options. This study applies a multinomial logit model to analyze the fuel choices of cooking fuels in urban Kenyan households. A large microeconomic dataset from Kippra’s Comprehensive study on fuel consumption patterns in Kenya is employed during the analysis. The results show that in addition to income, there are several socio-demographic factors such as education and sex of the head of the household, which is important in determining household fuel choice. To encourage clean fuel use, the authorities should carry out public education campaigns and ensure the availability of these fuels in all areas to avoid harmful effects of biomass fuels and kerosene, more modern and efficient appliances should be made available at affordable rates to ensure more efficient use of these forms of energy.

Keywords: Fuel Choices, Households, Urban, Energy economics

DOI: 10.7176/JESD/12-14-06

Publication date:July 31^st 2021