Factors Influencing Choice of Sources for Domestic Energy Used in Households in Thuti Sub-Location, Othaya

Abstract

Energy is one of the key drivers of economic, social and political development of the world hence its increase in demand. Countries are faced with problems of sustainable energy sources for home use, which will accelerate countries economic growth. During the 2000s several programmes aiming at testing and disseminating energy saving technologies were implemented in Kenya (Smith et al., 2000).One of these technologies was improved cook stoves, which was intended to increase the efficiency of using energy from Biomass and other sources. The purpose of this study is to examine factors influencing choice of sources for domestic energy used in Thuti sub-location in Othaya sub-county, which included among others socio-cultural and economic factors, stakeholders influence, and the switching factors from traditional to more efficient and cleaner fuels and technologies.Descriptive survey   research was design was used to collect required data.The target population of 275 households where systematic random sampling was used to select 27 households. For qualitative data collection, 12 key informants were selected using purposive sampling from Thuti Sub-location were used. The result showed that the source of fuel wood used in Thuti Sub-location from their own farms and Karima forest, representing 73.1% and 26.9% of the total population respectively. This concurs with the objectives of the Green Belt Movement (GBM), which is to encourage sustainable fuel wood usage for the household through planting of trees in their farms while at the same time rehabilitating Karima Forest.On the adoption of alternative sources of energy, the result showed that the households learned of these sources from friends represented at 40.7% followed by Neighbours, 25.9 % and parents at 14.8%. Indicating that there is a close association among the households in their day-to-day activities and choice and sources of domestic energy used. The overall findings underlined the importance in social groups, stakeholders and government advocacy in the choice and sources of domestic energy to be adopted for efficient cooking and sustainability in Thuti Sub-location. This study therefore will be of significant to; policy makers, researchers, residents of rural households to build a case for intervention on the most efficient and clean choice for domestic energy among the rural households in Thuti Sub-location and the environs.

Keywords: Domestic energy, choice, households, adoption, sustainability