The government has launched a programme to transition correctional facilities from wood fuel to cleaner energy sources, with the State Department for Petroleum committing to support the rollout of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and other sustainable cooking technologies across prisons within the next year.
The initiative was announced during a tour of the Nairobi Remand and Allocation Prison, one of three institutions selected for the pilot phase of the clean energy transition.
Petroleum Principal Secretary Kello Harsama said the programme forms part of the government’s broader efforts to accelerate Kenya’s clean energy transition while advancing national environmental and sustainable development goals.
95 Per Cent of Public Institutions Still Use Wood Fuel
According to Harsama, about 95 per cent of Kenya’s nearly 11,000 public institutions, including schools and correctional facilities, still rely on wood fuel for cooking, increasing pressure on forests and undermining environmental conservation efforts.
He said the government plans to roll out a nationwide programme next year to supply subsidised LPG to 10 million households, reducing dependence on biomass fuels currently used by about 75 per cent of the population.
“We are scaling up investment in clean cooking infrastructure to reduce reliance on traditional biomass fuels while supporting Kenya’s clean energy transition,” Harsama said.
Correctional Facilities Consume 64,000 Tonnes of Wood Fuel
Correctional Services Principal Secretary Dr. Salome Beacco said the department intends to complete the transition to clean energy across correctional facilities during the current financial year following a successful pilot at Lang’ata Women’s Maximum Security Prison.
She revealed that correctional institutions consume approximately 64,000 metric tonnes of wood fuel annually, creating significant financial, environmental and public health challenges.
“The transition will help lower biomass costs, reduce carbon emissions and improve environmental sustainability across correctional institutions,” Beacco said.
Pilot Programme Begins in Three Institutions
The pilot phase will be implemented at the Nairobi Remand and Allocation Prison, the Prisons Staff Training College in Ruiru and the Nairobi Probation Hostel before being expanded to correctional facilities across the country.
Besides LPG, the government is exploring additional clean energy technologies, including biogas systems, solar-powered cooking equipment and integrated steam cooking technologies.
Supports Kenya’s Climate and Development Goals
Officials said the initiative aligns with the Kenya National Cooking Transition Strategy (2024–2028), the National Tree Growing and Restoration Campaign, which aims to plant 15 billion trees by 2032, and the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
The programme also supports Kenya’s climate change commitments, the National LPG Growth Strategy and this year’s Correctional Service Week theme, “Transforming Correctional Services through Technology and Green Solutions.”
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