Uganda’s heavy reliance on firewood and charcoal for cooking is fueling a public health crisis, worsening deforestation, and draining household incomes, energy experts have warned.
The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD), through its National Renewable Energy Platform (NREP), is now pushing for a shift to clean cooking technologies, calling it a matter of survival for both people and the environment.
Speaking at a community engagement in Rukungiri Municipality on Wednesday, Dr. Paul Nduhuura from NREP said that most Ugandan households remain trapped in traditional cooking practices that expose them to indoor air pollution, one of the country’s leading causes of preventable deaths.
“Adopting clean technologies such as LPG, electric pressure cookers, and biogas can save families money, cut cooking time, and protect both health and the environment,” Nduhuura said.
The warning comes at a time when Uganda’s forests are disappearing at an alarming rate, largely due to dependence on firewood and charcoal. Environmentalists say this trend threatens to undermine the country’s climate commitments and food security.
Rukungiri Municipality Principal Community Development Officer, JohnBosco Twesigomwe, described the situation as a national emergency.
He revealed that every year, many Ugandan’s die because of indoor air pollution linked to firewood and charcoal. He emphasized that clean cooking is not just an option but it is a necessity.
CUE IN TWESIGOMWE……ON THE MATTER……RR//
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