Charcoal trade in Kenya

Abstract

In 1980, charcoal was estimated as providing 8% of Kenya`s overall fuel needs. Out of this, 50% was used by urban households, 37% by rural households, 12% by the industry and 1% by the commercial sector (O`Keefe et al, 1984). Urban households are therefore the largest consumers of charcoal. Increasing national population and urbanization translates into a greater demand for charcoal. Due to these two factors, O`Keefe et al (1984) projected that charcoal demand in Kenya would increase at the rate of 4.7% per year from 8.754 million tonnes in the year 2000. Adequate information is a pre-requesite for facilitating effective planning to meet this future charcoal demand, hence the need for this study. The paper also details on background information, principal sources and producers of charcoal, organization of middlemen, pricing of charcoal, revenue for different charcoal traders, summary, and recommendations.