Sustainable energy has long been a big challenge to many people especially those living in informal settlements. However, with new technologies and innovations coming up, the situation is now changing for the better.
Due to scarcity and high cost of fuel, a group in Mukuru Kwa Njenga slum, has invented a new way of making their own fuel for sustainable development. An inspiring group called Sisal B, now makes charcoal briquettes which is a good source of energy. Charcoal briquettes have a higher heating value as compared to wood charcoal.
They are almost smokeless and give out intense and steady heat which is essential for general cooking. According to Kennedy Angutha, Sisal B Chairman, they started the project last year at New Apostolic Church at Sisal zone in Mukuru Kwa Njenga. Trained in Kibera “Kujenga Maisha East Africa (KUMEA), approached us and took us for a training at Kibra for four days,” said Angutha. After the training, they were good to go.
They embarked on their mission of producing briquettes to sustain themselves by selling them. But what does it entail to make charcoal briquettes? Angutha explains it in detail, something that the whole group is proud of. “To make the charcoal briquettes, you need boxes, cassava corn and starches as a binder.
They can be produced manually or mechanically,” she explains. “For small scale briquettes, makers like us use the manual method so sufficiently,” says Angutha. The charcoal dust is mixed thoroughly with available material which acts as a binder in a pail or any available container. The resulting mixture is molded into a desired shape and size using hands or an improvised wooden molder.
The briquettes are then dried under the sun. Meal binders such as cassava starch, corn starch and other starches emit less smoke compared to wooden charcoal which makes it ideal for routine domestic cooking. That explains why most people in this area opt for it in their daily cooking.
Since its inception, the project has been so beneficial to Sisal B group. So far, they earn a living from it by dedicating their time to it and enjoying the fruits of their labor. “We make two sacks of charcoal in a day which we then sell at a cost of Sh3, 000,” says Angutha.
“We are now looking for a place which we can rent for our business,” he adds With similar projects, various groups especially women groups will be able to sustain themselves, educate their children and venture into big investments. All these, will go a long way in developing our communities.
