Community members receive energy savings jikos

By Bob Aston

Sipili Location Community Forest Association (CFA) and Sipili Water Resource Users Association (WRUA) members have started receiving energy savings jikos (Liners jikos). The ceremony which took place on October 6, 2014 at Ng’arua Maarifa Centre was an initiative of Sipili WRUA and Sipili Location CFA with support from Community Development Trust Fund (CDTF) through Lariak Forest Conservation Area Project.

The two (2) organizations are targeting to reach 100 members with each member getting two (2) energy saving jikos.

Lariak Forest Conservation Area project whose main aim is to preserve Lariak Forest, saw it fit to pilot the energy saving jikos as it would help them to achieve their main objective.

Speaking during the event Sipili WRUA Chairperson Joseph Maina who is also in charge of the Project implementation committee (PIC) talked of importance of the energy saving Jikos as it will reduce cutting down of trees as well as use of firewood.

Some of the members with their energy saving jikos

He stressed on the importance of reforestation as it helps to mitigate against global warming as well as building natural habitats and ecosystem.

“This jikos will result in fewer hazardous emissions than alternatives since most of the volatile material in the original biomass is consumed during the char-making process. The jikos can also last for more than 10 years thus it will be extremely cheap as the materials used to make them are locally available while its benefits are immense,” said Maina.

Sipili Location CFA location chairman Joseph Ndatho said that, forests and woodlands of Olive and Pencil Cedar once covered much of Laikipia County. Joseph said that forests in Laikipia are currently undergoing massive deforestation but the energy saving jikos will help to reduce that.

“We need to look at all means that can be used to reduce pressure in forests. This is just one of the ways that we are using to address the depletion of forest cover” said Joseph.

He added that the long-term sustainability of conservation efforts in Laikipia is linked to the environmental awareness of the youth.

Sipili Location CFA believes that this initiative will significantly reduce cutting down of trees. They are also teaching farmers to plant trees as well as encouraging those in forests to move out to enable trees to be planted.

The two groups decided on energy saving jikos as it uses less firewood; it enables the farmer to keep up to 50 chicks using the warmth from the firewood. The model jiko is raised up the ground, it keeps the kitchen clean and constructing the energy saving jiko is easy as it requires locally available products.