Save Kenya Water Towers Biogas Story as highlighted by; Thomas Reuters Foundation

The award was created in 1999 by the National Environment Trust Fund (NETFUND), a non-governmental organisation, to recognise innovation, groundbreaking research, ideas and extraordinary grassroots initiatives in Kenya. It aims to promote sustainable use and management of natural resources by rewarding the best examples. St. Agatha Mokwo is also used by athletes during school holidays as a training centre. Both the bakery and fish pond, built with support from the Kenya Forest Service, have been a major attraction for athletes who want to improve their home science skills. So far eight schools have installed biogas plants under the project, and more are at different stages of deploying the technology across the 17 counties where Green Zone Development operates.

LESS NEED FOR FUELWOOD

Introducing biogas technology in schools does appear to improve environmental protection in the local area. David Kipyego, chairman of the Eldoret Educational Resource Centre, a school in Eldoret town, said that since the biogas project began there, use of fuelwood has been cut by half. “We have reduced the use of firewood for cooking from 24 tonnes to 12 tonnes per term (of three months), which is an added advantage for the conservation of the environment, as well as being economical for the school,” Kipyego said. Apart from the biogas, the organic waste material used to produce the gas can serve as manure, which is more beneficial to the environment than chemical fertilisers, Kipyego said.

David Chemweno, executive director of Save Kenya Water Towers, an organisation set up in 2010 to rehabilitate degraded water catchment areas, said each of 20 schools visited by his staff consumed an average of 20 tonnes (20,000 kg) of firewood per term. Schools are licensed to harvest dead wood but end up cutting down trees in order to get the amount they need for cooking, he added. His organisation has also spearheaded a separate programme called the “Green Ribbon Initiative”, which involves bringing biogas to schools located near indigenous forests. “We are targeting more than 20 schools…with subsidised biogas, where the schools will contribute 60 percent of the project while we contribute 40 percent to cover the cost of the technical knowhow,” Chemweno said, adding that Save Kenya Water Towers will also donate cows to assist in biogas production.

Source: Thomas Reuters Foundation