Demand and supply dynamics of wood energy in schools in Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya
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Date
2016-03
Authors
Nyambane, Anne Wanjiru
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
In Kenya, the transition from National to County level energy planning has experienced
various challenges, one of them being the lack of reliable baseline data upon which
such plans can be based. This is evident because the last comprehensive biomass study
done by the Ministry of Energy was in 2002, which is too old for effective and efficient
biomass energy planning. This study provides this data by analyzing the demand for
and supply of fuelwood in secondary schools within the County of Trans-Nzoia.
Furthermore, the study highlighted the important role that the wider adoption of
energy-efficient institutional stoves would play in the sustainable management and
conservation of forestry resources in the County. A questionnaire surveywith65
randomly selected schools, actual weighing of the daily fuelwood consumption
estimates and general site observations were carried out. From the study, the mean
daily fuelwood consumption was 159.2±91.75kgper school and 0.524 kg per student.
As it will be discussed later in the thesis, these consumption rates varied when
considering the type of cookstove used and the number of students being cooked for.
Eucalyptus species, Grevelea robusta, Acacia species and Croton species were the
commonly harvested tree species for fuelwood, with farmlands and forests being the
main areas of harvest. In these schools, parents supplied majority of the fuelwood as
fees in kind. Regarding improved cookstoves adoption rates, 68% of the sampled
schools had adopted the stoves. However, only 26% of these schools used them
exclusively, while 42% combined them with either a traditional or semi-improved
cookstove or both. On the benefits of using an improved cookstove, a typical school
saved about 0.34kgper student daily and 91.8kgper student annually. This fuelwood
saving was equivalent to a financial saving of Ksh.138 per student annually. The results
present a potential baseline data that could be used for energy planning and forest
resource management purposes in Trans-Nzoia County
Description
A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of a Degree in Masters in Environmental Science in the School of Environmental Studies of Kenyatta University. March 2016