Clean cooking drive gets Sh97m shot in the arm

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki Kithure witnesses the signing of a landmark MoU to unlock clean cooking solutions for public institutions in Makueni. [James Wanzala,Standard]

The Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) programme has announced a $750,000 (Sh97 million) investment that will benefit three innovative Kenyan clean cooking ventures, including Ecobora, PowerUp, and Sun-Power Box. 

The investment is part of MECS’ ongoing efforts to advance sustainable clean cooking solutions and accelerate clean energy transitions in Africa. 

The innovators will utilise the funds to scale affordable electric cooking technologies and expand access to clean energy for institutions, schools, and households and will play a crucial role in driving the transition to clean cooking through local expertise, innovation, entrepreneurship, and a demonstration of African solutions to African challenges. 

“Investing in the innovators at the forefront of electric cooking is one of the most impactful ways to drive the adoption of clean cooking. MECS’ R&D investment provides an innovative finance model for others in the sector,” said Nyamolo Abagi, director of clean energy access at CLASP and member of the MECS Investment Committee. 

“Clean cooking is at a tipping point; let’s seize this moment to build a future where Africans can have cleaner, healthier, economically empowered lives.”

Over the years, Ecobora, PowerUp, and Sun-Power Box have been at the forefront of developing affordable, locally manufactured electric cooking solutions that have driven effective clean energy transitions for institutions and schools in Kenya.

Through institutional support under the MECS programme and CLASP’s capacity-building efforts, their innovative approaches have delivered cost-effective clean cooking solutions.

About 37 million Kenyans and more than 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa still rely on wood, charcoal, or other biomass fuels for cooking, driving deforestation, harming health, and placing a heavy economic burden on households and institutions. 

While electric cooking (e-cooking) offers a clear pathway to cleaner, more efficient energy use, early-stage ventures face a critical financing gap. 

Many struggle to access the capital needed to move from market entry to scale. 

This investment directly addresses that gap. By funding research, testing, and validation, MECS is helping these companies strengthen their technologies, generate evidence, attract new investments, and reach scale.