Kenya Champions Clean Energy Transition at the Institutional Clean Cooking Forum
The Unlocking Finance and Investments for Institutional Clean Cooking Forum convened policymakers, investors and development partners today in Nairobi to accelerate the shift towards sustainable and inclusive clean cooking solutions across Kenya’s institutions. The high-level event was officiated by Her Excellency Rachael Ruto, the First Lady of the Republic of Kenya, and attended by key dignitaries including Ministry of Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogambo, Principal Secretary for the State Department for Investment Promotion, Abubakar Hassan Abubakar, Special Climate Change Envoy Ambassador Ali D. Mohammed, Special Envoy on Technology Ambassador Philip Thigo and the CEO for Clean Cooking Alliance Dymphna van der Lans.
In her keynote address, the First Lady underscored the human, environmental and economic urgency of transitioning to clean cooking. “Clean cooking is not just a household issue; it is a human, environmental and economic priority for our continent,” she said, reflecting on the silent suffering caused by traditional fuels. She reaffirmed the government’s commitment under President William Ruto’s leadership to achieve universal access to clean cooking by 2028 through the Kenya National Clean Cooking Transition Strategy and the Kenya National Electric Cooking Strategy.
Her Excellency cited the government’s progress in integrating clean cooking into initiatives such as the Affordable Housing Programme and school feeding systems, noting that “when we transform school kitchens, we protect cooks and children, save trees and teach a generation what a healthy, climate-friendly and dignified future looks like.” She emphasized that achieving Kenya’s goal would require mobilizing over USD 490 million, adding: “We must invest, not out of charity, but out of justice.”
Ministry of Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogambo, highlighted the health and environmental hazards of biogas and other polluting fuels, emphasizing the transformative potential of clean cooking. “Clean cooking is a game changer that reduces fuel use by up to 93 percent, cuts carbon emissions, creates jobs in the local manufacturing and jua kali sectors and ensures timely, nutritious meals that enhance learners’ wellbeing and school performance,” he said.
Principal Secretary for Investment Promotion Abubakar Hassan emphasized that clean energy investments must be both profitable for investors and affordable for consumers. “Investment needs to be incentivized and de-risked for money to flow,” he noted. He outlined SDIP’s five-point plan, which includes collaborating with the National Treasury to introduce incentives in the upcoming Finance and Tax Amendment Bills 2025, operationalizing a USD 40 million Green Investment Fund—expected to grow to USD 200 million and removing bureaucratic barriers to investment flows. “Kenya has already proven that clean energy attracts global capital. The next frontier is institutional clean cooking—let’s make it the next big chapter in Kenya’s green growth story,” he added.
The forum closed with a call to action for coordinated investments in scalable, high-impact clean cooking solutions. As Her Excellency concluded, “When we finance clean cooking, we finance better health, stronger education, greener forests and a more equal Kenya. This is the Kenya we are building.