Kenya is one of the many SSA countries facing a formidable clean cooking challenge. Most of the population (81%) still relies on polluting fuels such as firewood (65%), charcoal (10%), and kerosene (6%) for their cooking needs (GoK, 2019). This has led to an array of interlinked development challenges: GoK (2019) estimates that in Kenya, 21,560 deaths/yr. are caused by household in-door air pollution; 8-11Mton/yr. woody biomass is lost due to forest degradation, and 13.6 MtCO2e/yr is emitted. Women and girls are disproportionately affected, with greater exposure to cooking smoke, as well as the drudgery of collecting fuel and lighting/tending fires, which results in missed educational and economic opportunities. On the one hand, the country has experienced increased connection to the electricity with three-quarters of the population now connected to some form of electricity but doesn’t yet use it to meet most of their cooking needs. On the other hand, the country has an ambitious clean cooking target i.e., achieving universal clean cooking by 2028. As such, there is a growing need to connect the clean cooking ambition and the new opportunities in the electrification sector through the promotion of e-cooking.

Through engagement with clean cooking stakeholders in Kenya, e-cooking policy research, policy dialogues and opening of e-cooking information hubs, the implementation of the MECS Kenya programme over the last 2-3 years reveals that Kenya’s domestic policies are advocating for expanded access to electricity and its utility.  The e-cooking agenda is now part of the National Government policy agenda- being promoted through the e-cooking National strategy as part of wider National clean cooking strategy and National Integrated Energy Plan.  Similarly, Kenya’s revised NDC recognised the role of clean cooking in climate change mitigation and adaptation with very strategic opportunities for e-cooking. While the e-cooking policy ecosystem is developing fast across sectors, the market ecosystem in also slowly progressing but still faces the challenge of underdeveloped value chain, financing, and general market awareness. 

The MECS Kenya programme is interested in establishing the e-cooking hubs to provide strategic opportunities to develop e-cooking ideas from the supportive policy frameworks to actual adoption by different community groups. Additionally, these hubs are strategic in catalysing e-cooking awareness, technology and financing support thus promises to enhance the e-cooking markets and value chains from the grassroots and in an inclusive fashion.  The demand stimulated through these hubs is also enhanced learning and exchange across context as emerging e-cooking champions actively begin to spearhead e-cooking agenda in their respective regions and create learning. As part of supporting the grassroots e-cooking agenda, some counties have now started mainstreaming the e-cooking in their planning. Already, four hubs including Nairobi, Kisumu, Makueni, and Kitui have  been stablished and we aim to establish more even as we strengthen  the existing ones.

ABOUT MECS AND ITS OBJECTIVES

The Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) programme is a £40 million ($50.5 million) UK Aid-supported initiative aimed at promoting modern energy cooking services in the Global South. The programme works through a multi-partner program of activities, led by Loughborough University in the UK, to catalyze the transformation of the clean cooking and electrification sectors that can enable widespread uptake of modern energy cooking services. This could generate inclusive environmental and development benefits for the poor by enabling technological, institutional, and market innovations. In Kenya, the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) is the national host of the Modern Cooking Services (MECS) program. The aim of the MECS project is to catalyse the transformation of clean cooking through technological, institutional, and market innovations that enable long-term use of MECS to generate inclusive environmental and development benefits for the poor. 

In Kenya, the aim was to identify local niches through which e-cooking can be catalysed as well as develop an action plan on how to build on the niches to influence policy, create awareness and linkages for e-cooking, and showcase e-cooking experiences beyond the country.

TORs FOR THE CHALLENGE FUND

The challenge fund proposal could include one or more of the following activities: 

• Support short studies on identifying market and awareness gaps for e-cooking in particular localities and grassroot contexts
• Strengthen the operationalisation of existing hubs including but not limited to activities capacity building, outreach among others
• Support the establishment of new hubs anchored on existing activities and infrastructure
• Support gender integration in e-cooking activities in particular context
• Implementation timeline – 6 months

Proposals can consider one or more of these themes. 

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

1. A proposal with background methodology, budget, and outputs – not more than 5 pages
2. Organisational capability statement

DEADLINES

1. Proposal submission deadline: 19^th December 2022
2. Reviews and Feedback: 22^nd December 2022
3. Interviews: 23^rd December 2022
4. Awards: 24^th December 2022.

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SUBMISSION

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