Kerosene consumption dropped to a record low of 37,120 tonnes in 2024 as more Kenyans shifted to cleaner and cheaper alternatives to cook and light their homes.
Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that the use of lighting kerosene dropped by 32 percent from 54,620 tonnes in 2023, pointing to a major shift that has seen more households use power from the mains and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to prepare food.
Even as kerosene sales dropped, those of LPG rose by 15.05 percent to 414,880 tonnes as more households shifted to cooking gas, which remains zero-rated following changes effected through the Finance Act of 2023 as part of Kenya’s efforts to promote clean energy use and make the fuel more affordable.
More Kenyans are also using electricity and solar lanterns to light their homes.
The drop in consumption of kerosene has been aggravated by the imposition of an anti-adulteration levy on the fuel.
The fee introduced by the Uhuru Kenyatta administration was meant to to deter adulteration of diesel and super petrol with cheaper kerosene by reducing the price difference between these fuels.
It aims to protect consumers from substandard fuel, prevent damage to vehicle engines, and ensure fair competition among dealers.
The levy's introduction increased the pump price of kerosene, a primary fuel source for many low-income households in the country.
This led to concerns from some quarters, including senators, who argued that it had negatively impacted ordinary Kenyans.
Data from the KNBS shows a historic drop in kerosene consumption, lower than in 1962 when Kenya’s population was 15 percent of today’s size.
For a long time, Kenyans in rural areas used kerosene for lighting their homes, while those in urban areas used it for cooking.
But this has changed with the introduction of the last-mile connectivity programme which has seen slums and rural areas connected to the mains grid. Additionally, most Kenyans in slums continued using kerosene for cooking while those in rural areas used firewood.
However, in 10 years from 2009, the percentage of homes that used kerosene to light their homes dropped from 68.9 percent to just 6.9 percent, a 90-percentage decline, the census data shows.
In 2009, 38.5 percent of Kenyans used tin lamps to light their homes and another 30.5 percent used lanterns. This dropped to 6.6 percent and 9.9 percent, respectively in 2019, a figure that is likely to have fallen further as more Kenyans have been connected to the grid between 2019 and today.
However, most households in urban areas have shifted to cooking gas, whose prices have been going down.
A key policy objective of the government is to transition households and institutions toward cleaner and more sustainable energy sources. This is evident in initiatives to promote LPG adoption through subsidised cylinders and infrastructure development in public institutions.
The government has also actively promoted the use of solar lanterns and off-grid solar systems, particularly for rural households, as a cleaner alternative to kerosene for lighting.
There was even an ambitious plan announced years ago by the Mwai Kibaki administration to achieve a "kerosene-free Kenya" by increasing access to clean energy.
The government also acknowledges the harmful health effects of kerosene use, particularly indoor air pollution leading to respiratory illnesses, especially among children.
Studies show that Kerosene burning also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, although likely less significantly than other fossil fuels.
There's a recognition that reliance on kerosene is not a sustainable energy solution in the long term.
