Respiratory diseases plague Kenya as people cook with firewood to save money

Respiratory diseases are affecting the health of millions of people in Kenya as many burn wood at home to save money. 

Although electricity access in the East African country has expanded from 20 per cent in 2013 to nearly 85 per cent in 2019, it’s still costly for many Kenyans.

"I have been using firewood all my life and wake up every morning to fetch it,” said Kenyan resident Jane Muthoni Njenga.

“However, the smoke from the firewood makes me cough over long periods and causes difficulty in breathing. LPG gas is quite expensive, and I cannot afford it," Njenga added.

When Njenga burns firewood in her kitchen made of iron sheets, the roof, walls and wooden pillars are covered in soot and the 65-year-old is engulfed in smoke.

Experts say biomass such as firewood is the largest contributor to respiratory diseases.

Data from Kenya’s health ministry shows that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is responsible for 1.7 per cent of deaths in the country.

"It is not only carbon monoxide but one of the biggest problems is particulate matters,” said Evans Amukoye, a scientist at the Kenya Medical Research Institute's respiratory diseases centre.

“The particulate matters are the ones we usually call PM 2.5 and this is associated with pneumonia, it is the one associated with asthma and so on. And it is usually brought around by fuel for cooking,” Amukoye added.

A government survey published by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) in 2022 showed a high dependence on traditional fuels for cooking in Kenya, with nearly 9.1 million households, 68.5 per cent of the population, depending on biomass like firewood.

Mercy Letting, a restauranteur in Nairobi, bought an induction burner which she says is faster in cooking and more