Residents of Kaptembwa estate in Nakuru town have set out on an ambitious cleaning programme of their estate.
Speaking in Kaptembwa on Monday, the project leader Joel Barno said the motivating factor behind the cleaning programme was the competition to make briquettes for use and sale.
He further added that the commercialisation of briquettes, which uses biodegradable waste, has made the residents to scramble for garbage, which is used as a raw material.
Barno said the introduction of briquettes by the Practical Action NGO has not only contributed to the cleaning of the estate but has improved their earnings.
Briquettes are made from waste materials, which are mixed with charcoal dust or saw dust and used as fuel.
They are part of the renewable energy, which Practical Action is promoting with the aim of saving Kenyan forests.
The director of the NGO, Patrick Mwanzia said the introduction of briquettes at Kaptembwa is a big plus, since it has contributed to cleaning the estate as well as assisting the residents’ access cheaper energy.
He added that their partnership with low-income areas made them to realise that the greatest need of slum dwellers was affordable and renewable energy.
“We realised that their expenditure on food was lower than cooking energy since most of them cannot afford gas and charcoal prices have tripled,’’ said Mwanzia.
Mwanzia added that briquettes are easy to make since all that one requires is a mixture of garbage and a little charcoal dust.
The other advantage of briquettes is that they take long to burn and can be reused.