Kenya is aiming to significantly boost the adoption of clean cooking solutions by leveraging the School Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) initiative alongside a newly introduced construction code.

According to the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), the government is relying on both policy reforms and infrastructure development to drive its national energy strategy forward.

EPRA Director General Daniel Kiptoo has admitted that the rollout of the school LPG programme is facing delays.

However, he noted that the groundwork including the identification of schools and assessment of their LPG needs has been finalized.

“As we’ve highlighted, the project is running behind its intended schedule,” said EPRA Director General Daniel Kiptoo. “We’re approaching the challenge from two angle first, by expanding our import and storage infrastructure, and second, by making LPG more accessible to consumers, starting with schools and household-level distribution.”

Although the School LPG Programme is expected to be a major catalyst for increased uptake, implementation has been slow.

So far, only 20 schools have installed LPG systems a small fraction of the 11,000 institutions the government aims to reach by December 2025.

The State Department for Petroleum says that implementation in the remaining 10,980 institutions will be carried out through public-private partnerships before expanding the programme to cover affordable housing units, police stations, public hospitals, correctional facilities, and other government-run facilities.

Kenya’s broader clean energy campaign has been gathering pace. In 2024, cooking gas consumption rose by 15 per cent as more households abandoned polluting fuels such as kerosene.

Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics shows LPG use climbed to 414,880 metric tons in the year ending December 2024, up from 360,590 metric tons in 2023.

Conversely, kerosene usage declined sharply falling from 54,620 metric tons in 2023 to 37,120 metric tons last year.

According to the latest Biannual Energy and Petroleum Statistics Report for the 2024 25 fiscal year, the upward trend in LPG usage has continued, with consumption increasing from 333,829 metric tons in 2022 to 360,592 in 2023, and now 414,861 in 2024.

Kiptoo said per capita LPG usage stood at 7.5 kilograms in 2023,

To boost LPG adoption from the current 24 per cent to 70 per cent by 2028, the government plans to execute the initiative through a joint effort between the Energy and Housing ministries, in collaboration with private sector partners.

A recent policy shift now requires all high-rise buildings to be fitted with LPG piping systems a move spearheaded by the National Construction Authority aimed at normalizing the use of clean cooking gas in urban households.

According to Joseph Otieno, the Commissioner General for Petroleum, schools are a major driver of deforestation, with just one institution capable of consuming up to 56 acres of forest annually to meet its cooking needs.

“The figures paint a grim picture. Close to 90 per cent of schools in Kenya still depend on firewood, and the education sector is estimated to burn through nearly 10 million trees every year,” he said.

To prepare for the expected surge in LPG demand, the government is accelerating the development of a common-user import terminal at the Kenya Petroleum Refineries Limited in conjunction with private investors.

It is also integrating LPG infrastructure into major national projects to expand access to affordable clean energy.

EPRA Director General Daniel Kiptoo noted that Kenya is significantly ramping up its coastal LPG import and storage capabilities.

Currently, the Africa Gas and Oil facility in Mombasa has 25,000 metric tons of capacity.

Lead Gas has commissioned a new terminal in Vipingo with a 10,000 metric ton capacity and recently received its first shipment.

Additional projects in the pipeline include a 30,000 metric ton terminal being developed at KPRL by the Kenya Pipeline Company and Ashrami, and another 30,000 metric ton facility under construction by Taifa Gas at Dongo Kundu.

Kiptoo confirmed that expansion efforts are progressing well, thanks to strong coordination between government entities and private stakeholders.

To support this transition, the State Department for Petroleum proposed allocating Sh2.5 billion from the fuel anti-adulteration levy towards constructing LPG systems in schools and public institutions.

However, in the national budget read last Thursday, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi did not specify how much funding, if any, was allocated to the initiative.

Kiptoo also noted that the Energy ministry is collaborating with the Council of Governors to ensure county governments integrate LPG piping requirements into approved building plans a key aspect of local planning necessary for the strategy’s success.

The government is banking on a two-pronged strategy: expanding supply infrastructure while simultaneously stimulating demand through public institutions and households.

The ultimate goal is to fast-track Kenya’s shift to cleaner cooking solutions and curb the country’s heavy dependence on firewood and other harmful biomass fuels.