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According to government authorities, respiratory diseases have been the most prevalent diseases in Kenya for the past six years, with 19.6 million reported cases in the most recent study released this year.
Respiratory diseases affect the health of millions of people in Kenya, due to the burning of biomass like firewood. But without affordable alternatives, most Kenyans continue to rely on traditional cooking fuels.
According to government authorities, respiratory diseases have been the most prevalent diseases in Kenya for the past six years, with 19.6 million reported cases in the most recent study released this year.
Biomass such as firewood is the largest contributor to those diseases. Data from Kenya’s health ministry shows that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is responsible for 1.7% of deaths in the country. People in low-income areas are diagnosed with respiratory diseases later in life compared to middle-class people in urban areas with better awareness and access to health care, according to Amukoye.
The Economic Survey of 2024 said Kenyan households used 93.8% of all energy mainly in the form of firewood. Families in informal neighborhoods and rural areas are the most affected, with most people relying on firewood or fossil fuels for cooking.
The 2022 Demographic and Health Survey showed a high dependence on traditional fuels for cooking in Kenya, with households depending on biomass like firewood increasing from 4.7 million to 6.7 million between 2020 and 2022. Overall, 9.1 million households rely on traditional cooking fuels, the survey said.
Globally, 2.3 billion people rely on open fires or fossil fuels like wood, charcoal, and kerosene for cooking. The World Health Organisation attributed an estimated 3.2 million deaths in 2020 to household pollution, including over 237,000 children under five. In Sub-Saharan Africa, more than 900 million people depend on these fuels, and the number is rising.
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Across Africa, women and children make up 60% of early deaths related to indoor air pollution, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). An annual investment of $8 billion is needed in clean cooking stoves, equipment, and infrastructure to address this crisis.
