Handeni women torn between clean energy sources and firewood

Tanga. “We encounter snakes and other dangerous insects, we get pierced by thorns and stumps,” narrates a resident of Handeni town in Tanga region, Ms Mashabani Mchelo.

She explains that a trip to the forest in search of firewood takes between two and three hours for a round trip and sometimes even longer due to the increasing scarcity of firewood.

Mashabani, who lives in Kwamasaka village, says such challenges are part of her daily life. “Without firewood you cannot cook, so you must wake up very early in the morning to go to the forest. That means other economic activities have to stop,” she explains.

However, she adds that the forest itself poses great dangers. People may encounter snakes and poisonous insects. Although she does not recall any recent cases, she says if one is bitten without quick medical help, their life could be in danger.

“Sometimes we injure ourselves by cutting with machetes, getting pierced by tree stumps, or falling into hidden pits,” she says, showing a fresh bleeding wound she had sustained just a short while earlier.

“These challenges even affect family life,” Mashabani continues. “If you return home late with firewood, your husband may become upset because of hunger and this can spark quarrels or even lead to a marriage breaking down, driven by jealousy over why you were delayed.”

Another resident of Vibaoni ward in Handeni, Ms Fatuma Mohamed, echoes these challenges, adding that sometimes they are chased by forest rangers when collecting firewood from protected areas where harvesting without a permit is prohibited.

She explains that in such situations accidents can occur, such as falling while running, getting pierced by stumps, or even losing one’s life in the process. “Someone could also break a limb if they fall suddenly while fleeing from rangers,” she says.

Fatuma stresses that despite these risks, they are compelled to continue collecting firewood because other alternative energy sources are too expensive for them. “Refilling a gas cylinder costs Sh25,000. Most of us cannot afford to refill it when it runs out. That is why we continue to depend on firewood and charcoal,” she explains.

She further adds, “…if the government really wants citizens to shift to clean energy, then the price must be lowered to a level that is friendly to all groups. Without this, for people in remote areas, it will remain a challenge to make the transition.”

According to her, nobody rejects the idea of using gas as cooking fuel, since it has many advantages including saving cooking time, creating a cleaner cooking environment and protecting health as it produces no harmful smoke like charcoal and firewood. “The only obstacle is the cost,” she emphasises.

Traders still dependent

Another large group of firewood users in the district are food vendors, particularly those who fry chips (French fries), as their businesses run daily and for long hours.

A chips vendor in Handeni, Mr Ali Kisuse, says he has never considered switching to gas due to both the working environment and the high cost of that energy source.

Explaining further, he says most of their stalls are located in open spaces and along roadsides, where strong winds are common. This, he claims, causes the gas flame to become unstable and the cylinders to empty quickly, leading to losses.

“Most of us operate in makeshift outdoor stalls. These conditions are not suitable for gas because of the wind, which can even pose safety risks. We need proper education on how to use gas facilities safely, but many of us are afraid. That is why we have not adopted it,” Ali explains.

Currently, the traders rely on sawdust as their main cooking energy. They buy it at between Sh1,000 and Sh2,000 per 50-kilo sack, spending between Sh30,000 and Sh60,000 per month, an expense they consider affordable compared to gas.

Ali insists that gas remains too expensive. “A gas cylinder refill costs Sh24,000, but it doesn’t even last a week. In fact, with the nature of our business, it wouldn’t last a single day. This means monthly costs could be more than twice the profit we earn, so it’s not a viable option for us,” he says.

Leaders’ perspectives

The Chairman of Kileleni Street, Kisaga Mbalu, where Mount Mhandeni forest reserve is located an area notorious for encroachment and illegal harvesting of firewood and charcoal says the challenges raised by residents about clean energy are part of broader social problems facing the people of Handeni.

“We are trying to educate people on the use of gas and on forest conservation by planting trees. But the biggest obstacle remains the high price and limited availability of gas. Whenever you ask people, they say they would like to use clean energy, but their income and the cost of gas are the biggest barriers,” says Kisaga.

He explains that the local leadership encourages women to form groups to collectively purchase gas equipment in order to reduce costs. Through such groups, they are also able to attract assistance, while their main responsibility remains refilling the cylinders.

Kisaga adds that the local government provides education on forest conservation and the dangers of excessive firewood and charcoal use. Such training is delivered by experts from the health and forestry departments.

“According to the 2022 population and housing census, Kileleni Street has 2,400 residents in about 700 households. Out of these, 470 households already use gas. Awareness campaigns are ongoing so that we can save our forest reserves,” he explains.

For his part, the District Commissioner of Handeni, Salum Nyamwese, says awareness among residents and institutions in the district has grown, leading to reduced forest harvesting and increased use of clean energy.

“Our first step was to sensitise both citizens and institutions to understand the importance of conserving their environment, especially forests, by reducing dependence on charcoal and firewood and returning to the use of gas. The results are now visible. Handeni District Prison and the Folk Development College (FDC), which serve large populations, have already switched to gas for cooking. This is a big step forward and we are proud of it,” Nyamwese says.

He adds that despite these successes, more work needs to be done. However, applications for forest harvesting permits for firewood and charcoal have already decreased compared to three years ago.

So far, Handeni district has allocated 1,060 hectares of forest for sustainable charcoal production in the villages of Gendagenda and Mkalamo, while village forests across the district cover more than 32,000 hectares.

This story is sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; if you have any comments about this story, send us a message via WhatsApp at 0765 864 917