Kenya is ranked first out of nine African countries in the implementation of the bio gas programme after farmers embraced the energy generating technology, according to the Kenya National Farmers Federation.

About 300 farmers are taking up the technology every month and close to 6,000 have built bio gas units in their farms in the last three years.

The chief executive of the Kenya National Farmers Federation – the implementing agency – John Mutunga said out of the nine countries Kenya is leading with a production of 2,557 units this year alone followed by Uganda with 1,511 units.

The chief executive of the Kenya National Farmers Federation – the implementing agency – John Mutunga said out of the nine countries Kenya is leading with a production of 2,557 units this year alone followed by Uganda with 1,511 units.

Picture from © – FLPA/Wayne Hutchinson

Other countries in the programme include Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Benin and Cameroun. In an interview with the Star, Mutunga said Kenyan farmers have discovered the benefits of bio gas units especially in the generation of affordable and clean energy.

He said with a minimum of two cows a farmer can put up a plant which will generate all the cooking gas required for domestic use and also manure for crops.

Mutunga said apart from offering cheap energy, bio gas saves forests because it cuts dependence on charcoal. This he said will in the long run help in increasing the forest cover to the recommended 10 per cent from the current 2 per cent.

He said biogas helps in fighting global warming and climate change because it removes methane from the environment which is one of the greenhouse gases. He said methane is proven to be a greenhouse gas which absorbs sun rays causing increased temperatures.

Mutunga said the bio gas programme is being implemented in 60 districts across Kenya and the target is to cover the entire country. He said one of the challenges they have faced in the past is lack of qualified artisans to build the units because this was a new technology not taught at the polytechnics.

However, he says they have helped trained many and now there is a pool of qualified artisans attached to various contractors who construct the units.

Here, we attached some interesting documents to download, about bioenergy development in Kenya:

* Multi criteria sustainability assessment of biogas production in Kenya

* Biogas plants for small farms in Kenya

* Capacity-cost and location-cost analyses for biogas plants in Africa

* Biowaste energy potential in Kenya

Do you want to know more? Why don’t you check our section on Biomass to energy projects, and see possible energy crops to consider in a biogas project.