Sumac Microfinance Bank has entered a long-term agreement with the Kenya Biogas Programme to sell Biogas to both existing and potential clients throughout the country.
The Kenya Biogas Program (KBP), a constituent of the Africa Biogas Partnership Program (ABPP) aims to achieve the development of a commercially viable domestic biodigester sector in Kenya by 2019.
ABPP started rolling out biodigester technology in Kenya in 2009, with over 18,000 biodigesters installed across the country to date. KBP implements the biodigester roll out component of the result based incentives program that stimulates the marketing and selling of quality bio digesters to households with the potential to significantly boost biogas technology uptake in Kenya.
RBF can also help strengthen the growing biogas sector in Kenya by increasing biogas demand through increased promotion and marketing coverage and by improving the trust of the clients in the reputation of the technology through enforcing the quality and efficiency of services provided by accredited BCE’s/masons, thus facilitating access to and use of biogas services by an increased population.
While acknowledging the importance of this agreement, Sumac CEO John Njihia said the project will go a long way in strengthening Sumac’s resolve to empower farmers and rural folk to raise their living standards.
“With the availability of cheap gas and quality manure from the biodigester, I’m convinced farmers will be quite happy to enjoy the benefits of this project,” Mr. Njihia said. “It is to their benefit that they can cut the cost of cooking gas and that of fertilizers completely. There can be no better way to do that than to invest in this particular facility.”
Plans are at an advanced stage to roll-out the project, in which farmers will access funding from Sumac to acquire the biogas facilities, and then pay the loan monthly over a convenient period of time. Mr. Njihia says this should offer farmers the much needed reprieve from their agony in regard to the cost of cooking at home using commercially distributed gas.
