Kenya Biogas Program: Developing a sustainable, domestic biodigester sector in Kenya

Over 17,000 bio-digesters were installed across Kenya between 2009 and 2020, serving over 100,000 beneficiaries. This programme helped reduce emissions by 365,200 tonnes CO2e and prevented the extraction of 223,000 tonnes of wood. The emissions reductions from the application of bio-digester sludge as fertiliser have not been included in the GHG mitigation estimate. The programme also created job opportunities: it trained at least 577 masons to build biogas domes, 82 of which operate as business entities and 240 of which as sole proprietors. [3]

The Kenya Biogas Program adopted a specific marketing model using ‘Biogas Marketing Hubs’. This approach relies on concentrating bio-digester information, training, sales, extension and marketing efforts on beneficiaries that have common interests; such as dairy, coffee and tea farmer Cooperatives.

Beneficiaries of the programme confirmed that the use of biogas enhanced their lives, improved indoor air quality, lowered expenditures on synthetic fertiliser and increased yields. What’s more, the lowered expenditures resulted in more farmers’ children attending school[4]; and, women were empowered as a result, as they were previously responsible for the time-consuming collection of firewood. Finally, the programme resulted in significantly decreased firewood use: in Kenya, households with bio-digesters use 2.1 to 3.3 tonnes less wood per year than households without.[5] 

The programme also overcame a number of barriers. To address increasing abandonment rates, it launched customer service centres and repair campaigns in 2016, decreasing technical failures.[6] It also worked to improve the connection with target customers by adjusting the focus of marketing campaigns from the benefits of biogas to the benefits of the digester sludge for crop production. However, to protect the interests of the biogas sector in the long run, the programme launched an Association of Biogas Contractors of Kenya (ABC-K) and Association of Biogas Sector of Kenya (ABSK). The membership of both organisations continued to safeguard the interest of the biogas sector, also beyond the closure of the programme. To secure access to finance for biogas plants under attractive terms, the programme has initiated various credit partnerships with financial institutions. To secure access to finance for biogas plants under attractive terms, the programme has initiated various credit partnerships with financial institutions.[7]