SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS INFLUENCING THE ADOPTION OF IMPROVED COOK STOVES IN KISUMU, KAKAMEGA AND UASIN-GISHU COUNTIES IN KENYA

Abstract

Despite the economic advantages of improved cook stoves' (ICS) technologies, progress toward widespread adoption and use has been extremely slow, leading to the destruction of forest resources, high household expenditure on domestic fuel, increased indoor pollution, increased disease burden, and time used to source for fuel. The study looked into the effects of socioeconomic characteristics such income level, home size, awareness of ICS, level of education, and amount of fuel wood utilized and ICS characteristics on the adoption of ICS in Kakamega, Kisumu, and Uasin-Gishu counties in Kenya. Six estates from Kakamega (Shikambi, Amalemba, and Milimani), Kisumu (Manyata, Tom Mboya, and Milimani), and Uasin-Gishu (Langas, Kapsoya, and Elgon View) were chosen to represent the research population's Low, Middle, and High-Income Estates using a multistage sample technique. Twenty-one academic institutions, fifty households from each income level, twelve large hotels (serving more than 101 people per day), twenty-one medium hotels (serving 51 to 100 people per day), and thirty-six small hotels (serving approximately 50 people per day) were all sampled. Semi-structured questionnaires and focus group talks were used to gather the data. The information was gathered using focus groups and semi-structured questionnaires. With the aid of SPSS version 23, the acquired data were analyzed using both descriptive and chi-square (χ2) statistics. The findings showed that household size, education level, knowledge of ICS, and characteristics of charcoal-saving cook stoves substantially influenced families' adoption of ICS (χ2=115.7548, df=49, p<0.05). In contrast, only the number of clients served each day had a significant impact on the amount of ICS adoption in institutions (χ2=10.0535, df=49, p<0.05). Education level and awareness level of the head cooks, stove characteristics and quantity of fuel wood used per day did not have significant influence on ICS adoption (χ2=0.6622, df=49, p<0.05; χ2=0.5057, df=49, p<0.05; χ2=2.2622, df=49, p<0.05; χ2=3.4796, df=49, p<0.05 respectively). In hotels, hotel sizes (χ2=2.3333, df=68, p<0.05), head cooks education level (χ2=0.4333, df=68, p<0.05), head cook ICS awareness (χ2=0.1000, df=68, p<0.05), quantity of fuel wood used per day (χ2=0.6667, df=68, p<0.05), and stove characteristics (χ2=4.9667, df=68, p<0.05), did not influence ICS adoption significantly. The study concluded that household size, increase in stove awareness; education level, income level, and saving on fuel wood positively influenced adoption in households. In institutions and hotels high awareness level, education level, and stove characteristics positively influenced ICS adoption. It is recommended that more ICS awareness be created and stove manufacturers come up with new designs for improved durability and wood fuel saving.