Nankabirwa says many Ugandans including the elite have a phobia of LPG gas and electric cookers.
Ugandans
should take advantage of the government’s initiatives aimed at promoting healthier and cleaner cooking in homes.
The Energy and Minerals
Minister, Ruth Nankbirwa says while the government has waived taxes on some of
the appliances for cooking, many Ugandans including the elite are still stuck
with cooking with charcoal.
Charcoal
supplies about 95 percent of the domestic and commercial cooking energy needs
in Uganda. Charcoal is a popular fuel for cooking and heating
in Uganda because it is deemed inexpensive, flexible to use, and easy to handle
and store.
The Ministry of Energy recently
embarked on the distribution of liquefied petroleum gas cylinders.
However, Nankabirwa
said many Ugandans including the elite kept them far in stores for fear of fire.
Nankbirwa suggests the
need to work on the mindset of a majority of Ugandans if these technologies are
to be adapted and put to use.
“Don’t assume that when
you see us wearing suits and skirts, that we are out of the stigma of using LPG
gas. People are stigmatized. They fear using gas,” she said.
///Cue In “People are
stigmatized ….
Cue Out…. you use your
cooker “///
She said while some of
the clean cooking devices are getting cheaper, Ugandans are still stuck with
the charcoal stoves commonly known as sigiri
. ///Cue In “Repent do
away with…
Cue Out….. you can
afford”///
“We have demonstrated that
it is more expensive these days to use charcoal than electricity for cooking,” said
Nankbirwa as she urged Ugandans to stop the cutting of forests for charcoal.
She insisted that the adoption
of cleaner cooking technologies also guarantees pollution-free cooking places.
“So the sacks of charcoal
we see on trucks in Kampala. Where are they going? They are going to your homes.
And they are contributing to pollution in your kitchens”
The United National
Environment Programme (UNEP) has over the years warned that cooking smoke kills millions
every year. It said household air pollution led to
3.1 million premature deaths in 2021 and is part of a
larger crisis driving
climate change and
biodiversity loss.
Globally, more than
half the trees that are cut down are used for firewood and
charcoal. As these forests fall, they take with them habitats home to a huge
array of plants, animals and other life forms.
Switching to cleaner fuels –
such as kerosene and natural gas – can help counter deforestation and an
alarming rise in
biodiversity loss.
The Government Initiatives
for Clean Cooking
The
government with the support of agencies like GIZ has been promoting technologies
that
are powered by electricity, biogas, ethanol, and liquid petroleum gas, which
are cleaner and more efficient than their solid fuels.
They also include stoves that use high-efficiency
charcoal and biomass pellets; these devices produce less smoke than traditional
biomass stoves. The decision to waive taxes on solar panels was part of the effort
towards the promotion of solar-powered technologies for cooking.
In
October, the Ministry of Energy signed an agreement with Global Gases Group to construct, own and operate an
LPG cylinder manufacturing plant, cylinder filling stations, and distribution
centres in different locations in the country.
Global Gases Group pledged to locally produce and
distribute 500,000 LPG-filled cylinders and their accessories commencing in the
third quarter of the 2025/2026 Financial Year.
The government
allocated land to Global Gases Group on top of other incentives as well as a
purchase and supply agreement for the cylinders once manufacturing began.
Nankabirwa says the
government will create a conducive environment for these technologies, but Ugandans
have to make use of them.
“All Ugandans out there
don’t wait for government. It is your health. It is your life.
The government will
have to make sure that the technologies are zero-rated, zero-taxed so that they
are affordable,” said Nankabirwa.
///Cue In “When we give
you
Cue Out …. Tilenga and
Kingfisher” ///
LPG usage is les than 1% at the household level in Uganda
and mainly in urban areas. The minister says local
manufacture of the cylinders and later LPG gas at the Tilenga and Kingfisher oil
fields in the Albertine is an opportunity for all the households in Uganda to
embrace clean cooking and save the environment.
The Third National
Development Plan 2020/21 - 2024/25 under the Sustainable Energy Development
Programme commits the Government to reduce the share of biomass energy used for
cooking from 88% in the FY 2018/19 to 50%.
It also commits the Government
to increase the share of clean energy used for cooking from 15% in FY 2018/19
to 50% by 2024/25.
Uganda is pursuing strategies to transition towards socio-economic
transformation and sustainable development.
