The world always has some useful information on almost anything other than what is beyond human sitting somewhere. For many years, we have been told of pollution in many areas of life. This includes the kitchens. We have variously been informed how all this is detrimental to human health. For decades, the standard Kenyan kitchen has been defined by the scent of woodsmoke or the blue hiss of an LPG stove. But as 2026 unfolds, that tradition is now a liability. From the volatile geopolitics of the Middle East to the undeniable signals of a warming planet, the argument for sticking to what we know is crumbling. Shifting how we cook is no longer a development talking point. It is a resilience strategy and a prerequisite for national sovereignty.
The most immediate wake-up call from the Middle East has been to give an oil prices alert. With the ongoing conflict involving the USA, Israel, and Iran, Brent crude pushed past $100 per barrel in April 2026. Because Kenya imports nearly all its petroleum, EPRA raised pump prices above KES 200 in Nairobi, and kerosene jumped in tandem. The little discount later offered the relief of the same little significance in tandem. This is not new. The Russia-Ukraine war did the same to fuel and fertiliser in 2022.
When our primary cooking fuels are tied to the stability of a region thousands of miles away, our food security and how we even eat are held hostage by foreign wars. A single drone strike in the Strait of Hormuz can add KES 30 to a litre of kerosene in Nairobi within weeks. Kenya spends over KES 600B yearly on fuel imports, foreign exchange we borrow at 10% interest, then burn. Biogas from cow dung, solar cookers, and grid electricity from geothermal do not get blocked in the Red Sea. They de-risk the kitchen.
Over 68% of Kenyan households still rely on firewood and charcoal. That demand drives deforestation of about 5 million trees each year. Fewer trees mean less rain, harsher droughts, and weaker crop yields. We cut trees to cook, then pay for it with failed harvests and other adverse climate effects.
Traditional biomass and fossil fuels also release black carbon and methane, potent short-lived climate pollutants. It is estimated that household air pollution kills an estimated 14,000 to 23,000 Kenyans annually, mostly women and children. Cleaner cooking is a climate action and a public health win. Kenya is committed to cutting emissions by 32% by 2030 under the Paris Agreement. Yet cooking with charcoal and firewood emits over 10 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent yearly, more than the entire transport sector. Transitioning to clean cooking is the cheapest way to meet our climate targets.
Oil frequently sparks or sustains wars. The 20th century was shaped by oil conflicts from Iraq to Libya to Sudan. The 2026 Middle East crisis is the latest chapter. As long as economies run on oil, pipelines and tankers will be strategic targets. The reality of oil is that it is a finite, exhaustible resource. Even without war, the age of oil is entering its twilight. Relying on a depleting resource we do not control is a failed long-term strategy. Something has to change to ensure a sustainable future for all.
Meanwhile, we waste 10 million tonnes of crop and animal waste yearly that could produce biogas. We receive 4 to 6 kWh/m² of solar radiation daily, among the highest globally. Our geothermal potential exceeds 10,000 MW and we use less than 1,000 MW. These are not future technologies. They exist now.
Resilience is the ability to eat when global systems fail. Over 80% of Kenyans work in the informal sector with no safety net. When kerosene doubles, families skip meals or shift to charcoal, accelerating deforestation. That is fragility, not adaptation. Modern alternatives offer a dramatic reduction in risk and emissions. Yet these need activation strategically but aggressively.
Biogas solutions convert organic waste and manure into methane for cooking and produce bio-slurry fertiliser. A relatively modest household digester can provide free gas for 20 years from two cows. With carbon credits, a farmer can easily be facilitated to earn some cash yearly from avoided emissions.
With Solar and Electric Cooking mix, Kenya can harness its abundant sunshine to power induction stoves or pressure cookers, with zero operational emissions. Kenya’s grid is over 90% renewable from geothermal, wind, and hydro. Electric pressure cookers cut energy use by 70% and cooking costs by significantly each day
We can’t ignore the LPG and Ethanol power in cooking. These bridge fuels burn with near-zero soot. A 6kg LPG cylinder now outlasts charcoal for many families and is insulated from price spikes once refilled, at least in the short term.
A fuel stacking approach where households combine these options ensures that even during grid fluctuations or supply shocks, the pot stays boiling within reasonable cost ranges with due regard to existing economic realities.
By decentralising energy production through solar and biogas, we democratise power. When energy is produced at the household or community level, the incentive for political corruption and conflict diminishes. The transition is also social justice. Women and children bear the brunt of the silent killer from traditional stoves. Smokeless fuels save lives and free up hours spent on firewood collection for education and business.
The Government of Kenya targets universal access to clean cooking by 2028. Achieving this requires policy and practice: zero rate VAT on LPG, ethanol, biogas systems, and efficient electric cookers until 2030. County governments should include a digester in every school feeding program. SACCOs can finance solar e-cookers like they have been financing water tanks.
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The war in the Middle East and the drought in Makueni are connected by one thing: our dependence on the wrong fuel. Biogas, solar, electricity, and ethanol are not just cleaner. They are cheaper, safer, and sovereign. We cannot control oil prices in Tehran. But we can control what boils our githeri or any other food somewhere in Kenya. For Kenya, the future is renewable, and that future must begin at the dinner table. For that to happen, some facilitation and empowerment through programmes are nigh. Often, problems bring great creativity and innovations. The war in the Middle East and its long-term effects are a wake-up call for that.
By Harrison Mwirigi Ikunda
The writer is a trained journalist, political, economic and social analyst, and commentator. He leads associations in auto, renewable energy and beekeeping, serves as a board chairman, global strategy director, and consultant in finance, investments and fundraising.
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