Kenya is facing the cost of living crisis and the inflation rate of 9%. This can be seen in food and fuel prices also in informal settlements – prices for charcoal, kerosene and gas have all doubled since 2017. This project focuses women’s food and fuel procurement, cooking practices and energy transitions in Mukuru slum community in Nairobi. Adopting demand-based approach, it looks at experiences of clean cooking technologies like bioethylene KOKO stoves and gas stoves.
The project is a new research collaboration with Cambridge and NGO Akiba Mashinani Trust in Nairobi with Jane Weru and Patrick Njoroge. Five community engagement workshops are organised in Mukuru, one of the largest informal settlements in Nairobi that lacks formal housing, energy and sanitation infrastructure, directly engaging stakeholders and beneficiaries in Mukuru.
Adopting Akiba Mashinani Trust’s method of community engagement and slum upgrading, the research looks at improving energy access and housing conditions, especially from women’s perspective.
This project builds on the AHRC Research Network Filming Energy (2020-22) and is a pilot study to expand the scope of work from South Africa and India to Eastern Africa.