KENYA’S JIKO SAFI FUND LAUNCHES
New Credit Facility Makes Clean and Efficient Cook Stoves Accessible for Kenyans
Remarks as prepared for Colin Dreizin
USAID Field Investment Officer
I am honored to be here with you today in support of the Kenya Union of Savings & Credit Co-operatives (KUSCCO), which is increasing access to cook stoves for Kenyan consumers through the “Jiko Safi” cook stove-specific credit facility.
Clean cook stoves reduce fuel consumption, reduce indoor air pollution, and improve efficiencies that ultimately save tens of thousands of Shillings per year for the average Kenyan household, as well as reducing health risks.
The U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID, awarded a grant to KUSCCO as part of an open competition for innovative solutions to overcome distribution and financing bottlenecks in the Kenyan cook stove sector, two key constraints to growth noted in recent market assessments by Winrock and the Global Alliance for Clean Cook stoves.
KUSCCO supports a network of 1,350 member SACCOs that will provide credit to their individual members seeking to purchase cook stoves. Demonstrating their strong commitment to the long-term sustainability and success of the fund, KUSCCO and its member SACCOs will provide two dollars of their own funds to the credit facility for every dollar provided by the grant – effectively tripling the impact of USAID’s investment.
The U.S. has a long history of supporting the clean cookstove sector in Kenya. Over thirty years ago the U.S. government funded an alternative energy project to study the construction of small stoves in rural areas, which led to one of the first clean cookstoves. From the launch of the Global Alliance by former Secretary of State Clinton in 2010 to the American companies working here, such as BURN Manufacturing, the U.S. is committed to supporting the development of a robust market for clean and healthy cooking solutions in Kenya.
As the result of this work, more and more Kenyans own and use a clean cook stove. They are healthier and their homes have less pollution. The burden on Kenya’s forests is reduced.
And the growing market for cook stoves is creating jobs and strengthening manufacturing in Kenya.
The U.S. is proud to be a part of this work and we look forward to collaborating with you and other cookstove partners in the future.