FIRST PHASE OF CLEAN ENERGY TRANSITION SET TO KICK OFF

By Martha Munyambu

Correctional Services Principal Secretary Dr Salome Beacco says the department is targeting to have completed the first phase of its transition to clean cooking by the end of the year.

Speaking on Monday at the fourth clean Cooking Committee meeting, the PS said infrastructural designs for clean cooking kitchens have already been developed ahead of the launch of the programme that will initially target both Kenya Prisons Service and Probation and Aftercare facilities within Nairobi and its environs before extending to other correctional facilities across the country.

In collaboration with the State Department for Petroleum and other state agencies, the department is exploring alternative cooking energy sources, including improved cookstoves, LPG reticulation systems, and hybrid solar water-heating systems.  The transition is targeted for completion by June 2027.

The initiative is meant to reduce environmental degradation, improve public health, enhance energy security, support Kenya’s low-carbon development agenda, and provide correctional institutions with more efficient, reliable, and environmentally friendly energy solutions.

The committee noted that the existing kitchen infrastructure in many correctional facilities can accommodate LPG systems, making the transition easier without requiring major structural modifications.

The initiative is part of ongoing efforts to modernize correctional facilities and make a tangible difference in the lives of staff and inmates by creating a safer, healthier and more sustainable environment.