The Ministry of Energy and Petroleum has launched the distribution of subsidised LPG gas cylinders in Nyandarua County, marking a new phase in the government’s nationwide clean cooking programme aimed at reducing reliance on firewood and charcoal.
The rollout began in Ol Kalou Constituency, which has been allocated 20,000 cylinders to be distributed across its five wards. The initiative is part of a broader government plan to expand access to affordable cooking gas for low-income households across the country.
Principal Secretary for Petroleum Kello Harsama presided over the launch on Monday, July 6, confirming that Nyandarua is now the sixth county to benefit from the programme.
“Nyandarua is the 6th county in Kenya to benefit from the subsidized LPG programme and Ol Kalou is the first constituency in Nyandarua to benefit from the programme and is among the first nine constituencies in the country to receive this support,” he said.
He added that the allocation is sufficient to cover all wards in the constituency, including Kanjuiri Range, Rurii, Mirangine, Karau, and Kaimbaga, with further distributions expected in the coming months.
“We have enough gas cylinders for every ward in this constituency, 20,000 in number, and every mother in this congregation will go home with a cylinder, and many more will be distributed in the coming months,” he stated.
The programme, spearheaded under President William Ruto’s administration, has already been implemented in several counties including Makueni, Machakos, Kitui, and Kajiado, as part of the wider Mwananchi Gas Project targeting millions of households nationwide.
The model is designed to make LPG more affordable by sharing costs between the government, private sector, and consumers. Under the arrangement, the government covers 40 per cent of the cost, LPG marketing companies contribute another 40 per cent, while households pay the remaining portion.
Unlike earlier versions of the initiative, the cylinders are no longer fully free, a shift the government says is meant to improve sustainability and reduce misuse of the programme.
Each cylinder is fitted with track-and-trace technology overseen by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority to enhance safety, quality control, and accountability.
The initiative aims to transition between four and eight million households away from traditional fuels such as firewood, charcoal, and kerosene, in a bid to reduce indoor air pollution and pressure on forests.