Abstract:
Biomass energy provides 68% of Kenya’s national energy requirements and it is expected to remain the main
source of energy for the foreseeable future (Mugo, F. and Gathui, T. (2010). The traditional stoves which
happen to be very popular with most households wastes a lot of fuel due to its low energy efficiency and this
leads to negative environmental impacts such as deforestation and pollution. This study focused on
understanding the sustainable utilization of woodfuel in two (2) Sub-locations of Mwala Sub-county namely:
Mwala and Kibauni. The primary objective of this study was to determine if woodfuel utilization by the
households in the study areas is sustainable. The specific objective of the study was to establish the level of
adoption of the energy saving techniques in the selected sub-locations. This study used survey methodology and
observation to collect data. The total household sample size was 160. Data collection instrument was
questionnaires. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics and the software was
Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0. The study revealed low adoption of rationing of
wood with majority of the respondents 84% in Kibauni and 65% in Mwala not practicing it. There was
significant relationship between rationing of woodfuel and the number of days taken to consume a bundle of
wood (df=1 and 158, F=462.898, p=0.00 ). The study also revealed low adoption of splitting of wood with 70%
of respondents in Mwala and 88% in Kibauni not doing the splitting. There was significant relationship between
splitting of wood and pollution challenges ( df=1 and 158, F=28.456, p=0.00 ). Low adoption of the practice of
putting off fire after use was also revealed with 66% of respondents in Mwala and 80% in Kibauni not practicing
it. The study revealed a significant relationship between putting off fire after use and the number of days taken to
consume one bundle of wood (df=3 and 156, F=57.292, p=0.00.). It was also found out that there was no
significant relationship between the type of stove and pollution challenges (df=1 and 158, F=0.072, p=0.789).
The study recommended that aggressive campaign in dissemination of improved stoves and related technology
in order to reduce pressure on forests, the Government to have a structured management in production of
charcoal and fuel wood by small scale farmers so as to have a source of income, promote capacity of field
extension staff in the energy sector and establish an Energy Centres in the Sub-county to help disseminate
knowledge and materials related to energy conservation.
