Is Charcoal Burning in Kenya leading to loss of Forest Cover?

Charcoal is a key bio-energy resource in Kenya, providing domestic energy for 82% of urban and 34% of rural households. The charcoal industry also creates jobs for wood producers, charcoal producers, transporters and vendors. The industry reportedly employs almost 1 million people on a part and full-time basis across the value chain (KFS Analysis of the Charcoal Value Chain in Kenya August2013). According to National Environment Policy, 2013 the main human activities contributing to environmental degradation in Kenya include unsustainable land use practices, poor soil and water management practices, deforestation, overgrazing and pollution. These situation analysis does not impeach charcoal burning as the major culprit of environmental degradation in fact as a matter of fact, charcoal burning isn’t the major forest degradation as presumed by people, essentially the major cause of forest degradation in this country is major changes in Land Use practice and duplication/conflict of interest or work by different government Agencies such as the Kenya water Towers, Kenya Forest Services, Kenya Wildlife Service amongst others. Part IX of the Forest Conservation and Management Act, 2016 prohibit felling, cutting, burning, injuring or removing any forest products however, there is no Kenyan Provision/law barring people from using charcoal yet its illegal to burn charcoal. Now the Big Question remains, what other fuel alternatives would be feasible for our people? Options • Remove all the taxes on LPG to make it affordable for low income earners Kenyans