Backgrounder
In Kenya, many households, especially in urban areas, use a metal charcoal stove for cooking which is called a jiko stove. Recently researchers at KENGO (Kenya Energy and Environment Organizations) developed a new ceramic model of the jiko stove that uses less fuel and therefore helps to reduce deforestation.
The new stove, called the ceramic jiko, uses half the fuel that the older jiko stove uses. It is lightweight – it only weighs 3 6 kilograms – and it is easy to carry around. It reduces the cost of fuel and decreases cooking time so it is ideal for families that don’t have much money and are busy with other activities. Water boils faster and longer using the improved jiko. Because of its shape, the stove’s heat is directed right under the cooking pot.
The ceramic jiko lasts about 30 months with lots of use, longer than the metal jiko. The outside casing is made of metal and is produced by local craftspeople. The ceramic inner lining is produced by large and small enterprises, including several women’s groups.
Since the new stove costs slightly more than the old one, there is a need to educate people about the savings in fuel costs. The cost of the jiko can be recovered in two to three months because of the savings in fuel costs. With 70,000 of these new improved jikos in active use it is estimated that 206,000 tonnes of wood and 570,000 hectares of forests are saved every year in Kenya.
Because the ceramic jiko was so successful in homes, researchers developed an improved institutional stove for rural hospitals, clinics, schools, and prisons. These institutions traditionally use fuelwood and charcoal for cooking, adding to the country’s fuelwood crisis.
The institutional ceramic jiko is similar to the domestic jiko, with a metal outer shell and a ceramic or vermiculite inner lining. It measures 30 to 50 cm in diameter and can last for up to five years. Fuelwood savings can reach fifty per cent. The stove reduces cooking time and releases fewer gases than other types of institutional stoves. As well, a water jacket can be added to the stove to heat the water and prevent heat loss from the metal sides of the stove so it can be handled even while in use.
Potential users The domestic ceramic jiko can be used by rural and urban low income families. The institutional ceramic jiko can be used in hospitals, schools, prisons, and any institutions that use fuelwood or charcoal for cooking.
Cost and availability The trade name of the new domestic jiko is Kimathi Jiko, and it sells for 55 to 75 Kenyan shillings, or U.S. $2 to $3. The institutional stove sells for 25,000 to 30,000 Kenyan shillings, or close to U.S. $1,000. The institutional stove is designed to cook for at least 100 people, using 50 litre or larger cooking pans.
Suppliers of the household jiko stoves include: Program Officer, Wambugu (Central Highlands)
P.O. Box 5069,
Nyere, Kenya
Jerri International,
P.O. Box 52747,
Nairobi, Kenya
Suppliers of the institutional jiko stoves include: Bellerive Foundation
Ngog Road, P.O. Box 42994, Nairobi, Kenya
Tel. : 25.2.720 274; Fax: 254.2.726 547
Charles Gitundu, Rural Technology Enterprises,
P.O. Box 28201, Nairobi, Kenya
Tel.: 796352
Acknowledgements
This script was published with the aid of a grant from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Ottawa, Canada. It is adapted from 101 Technologies from the south for the south, 1992, IDRC, P.O. Box 8500, Ottawa, Canada K1G 3H9.
Information sources
Kenya Energy and Environment Organisations (KENGO) P.O. Box 48197, Nairobi, Kenya
Wood Energy in Kenyan Institutions, A Summary of Research Findings, 1988, 14 pages, KENGO Wood Energy Series, KENGO.