Kenya: Firewood still most used for cooking

  1. Posted on Wednesday 16 September 2009 - 10:16
    Peris
    Image of Peris
    Peris Wairimu, VoicesofAfrica alumna, Meru, Kenya
    At least 95 percent of Kenyans living in the rural areas use wood as the major source of fuel in cooking, heating and also providing light. However the proportion of wood used as fuel differs very much in different parts of the world depending on other availability of other types of fuel. African continent consumes lot of timber and wood as domestic fuel.
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    This is partly because a lot of developing countries enable many people to use kerosene, gas or electricity rather than wood as a major domestic fuel. Other countries have ample supplies of coal and gas hence using very little timber for fuel. European countries, North America and Japan use little wood for fuel though the pattern is not uniform in Southern Europe countries such as Spain, Yugoslavia and turkey where the standard of living is lower than much of Europe.

    Thus the proportion of timber output used as fuel is very high. Low consumption of timber in North America reflects both the availability of a wide range of other fuels and the high standard of living. Simply the high consumption of timber as fuel depicts lack of other sources of fuel and low standard of living.

    If electric power would be spread in all parts of parts of the country including in rural areas, there would be a gradual change in remote areas. Because they would have an alternative hence moving lives. By using wood as a major source of fuel in Kenya, forests are being destroyed thus reducing the amount of water in the rivers hence causing drought and hunger in the country.

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    This video is part of the Voices of Africa project. The mobile reports in this project are made by reporters under training and reflect their respective progress.

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