- This new initiative launched in Kenya will help scale up the adoption of clean energy in sub-Saharan Africa and address the burden of disease from household air pollution.
- The program will run for five years focusing on addressing barriers to adopting clean, modern fuels for resource-poor households.
A new initiative and flagship initiative of the Energy, Air Pollution and Health Research Group at the University of Liverpool’s Department of Public Health, Policy and Systems has been launched in Kenya to help scale up the adoption of clean energy in sub-Saharan Africa and address the burden of disease from household air pollution. The Clean-Air (Africa) initiative, in collaboration with Kenya Medical Research Institute, aims to reduce respiratory and cardiovascular disease from exposure to household air pollution. The program will run for five years focusing on addressing barriers to adopting clean, modern fuels for resource-poor households.
The initiative worth Sh1 billion is funded by the UK National Institute for Health and Care Research under their Global Health Research Programme. It holds significant benefits for the environment, from reductions in deforestation and pollutants from burning solid fuels.
Kemri Director-General Sam Kariuki said, “Reliance on polluting fuels for cooking is detrimental to the environment through deforestation and land degradation, to gender equality through health impacts and time poverty for women associated with domestic roles”. The initiative brings together academic, research and clinical experts from Kenya, the UK, Cameroon, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda to provide research evidence for national policies supporting populations’ transition from polluting solid fuels such as wood, charcoal, biomass and kerosene to clean energies.