“Tech in, Go clean!”Cook Stove technology adaptation in Kenya.

Research conducted in 3665 homes in Kenya explores the plummeting uptake of improved and modern cookstove technologies. The majority of projects that integrate technology, particularly those related to sustainable energy, struggle with user acceptance of technology. Investment in ICT implementation does not guarantee success and frequently yields low returns. Dr. Hellen Hola Osiolo published “Cookstove Technology Application: Evidence from Kenya” at a time when the country is reflecting on how to rapidly scale up clean energy access.
Her impeccable research and handling of contentious issues aim to overlook thought processes that inform policies and factors aligned to the realities of household multiple uses of fuels and stoves. Through the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology framework, she proposed a metaphor ‘fuel and stove balancing’ which seeks to explain how the uptake of single to multiple fuels happens gradually through the upward and downward movement of the energy ladder.
Her study also claims that factors influencing stove balancing extend beyond socioeconomic and demographic characteristics to include stove-type technologies, markets, and financial actors, all of which are important factors in promoting the adoption of energy-efficient, less polluting fuels/stoves and cooking practices. According to Dr. Osiolo, providing a holistic understanding of technology acceptance among the various technologies introduced in the realm of cookstoves technologies will boost the uptake of improved and modern cook technologies in Kenya.