In the serene, agriculturally rich outskirts of rural Kenya, in Kangema constituency, Murang'a county, a lone man is quietly leading a green energy revolution-one bucket of cow dung at a time.
Motivated by the need to reduce the ever-rising energy bills and avoid the harmful health effects of indoor smoke from open fire cooking, Edward Mwangi took the bold step towards energy self-sufficiency two years ago.
He installed a biogas system, which has seen the family not only significantly cut down on energy costs but also embrace a cleaner and more sustainable way of living, as well as conservation of the environment. "At the time, the price of LPG gas, charcoal and firewood had skyrocketed and as much as I needed to cut costs on that due to hard economic times, I also needed to reduce the respiratory problems caused by smoke emissions from the kitchen," he says. "Already I had four dairy cows and therefore knew I had a reliable source of energy to fuel the biogas system," he noted.
Armed with determination and resilience, Mwangi installed the 12-cubic-meter biogas digester for sh150,000, which to him was a significant investment yet a worthwhile venture.
