Nairobi Primary School Champions Clean Cooking

Stakeholders drawn from different organisations champion clean cooking in public schools in Nairobi

Why Clean Cooking Matters

Kenya, like many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, faces persistent challenges from household air pollution, reliance on biomass (firewood, charcoal), and the health, environmental, social and gender inequalities that flow from these. Transitioning to clean cooking solutions is urgent: it promises health benefits (especially for women and children), reductions in deforestation and carbon emissions, and economic opportunity.

A pilot project by Verst Carbon is championing clean cooking at Nairobi Primary school. Brian Nyangena says it has seen improved health outcomes.

No child should have to study in an environment clouded by smoke from traditional kitchens. Clean cooking in schools brings dignity, health, and opportunity — and with the right partnerships, we can scale these solutions to every county in Kenya.

— Brian Nyangena, Verst Carbon

Pilot project of steam cooking at Nairobi Primary School reducing fuel costs by 80 pc,reducing air polution and improving health

Garissa high school is among schools that have embraced clean cooking in strategies to reduce emissions according to Verst Carbon report.

Zero Waste: Towards A Cleaner Planet. Experts Push Conversations To Discourage Incineration Ahead Of COP30

©Rommel Cabrera/GAIA

As the world races to cut methane emissions and meet the Global Methane Pledge, GAIA’s new

global report highlights that incineration worsens climate impacts, while zero waste solutions

provide fast, fair, and effective climate action.

Download the full report

The report identifies case studies in Nigeria, Brazil, Philippines that demonstrate that incinerators harm the environment and thus in the long term contribute to high carbon and health costs. It says while they may provide short term gain, communities near incinerators are highly exposed to a toxic environment.

“ Communities are resisting polluting projects and embracing scalable zero

waste solutions that reduce emissions, advance social justice, and support

wastepickers’ livelihoods.”

—GAIA Media Advisory

The report amplifies perspectives of communities resisting polluting projects, showing that zero

waste solutions are scalable and socially equitable.

Segregation of waste in Nairobi's Imara Daima Estate.(A gated community)

“Zero waste is not just an environmental strategy, but a climate imperative ahead of

COP30. With COP30 in Brazil on the horizon, the report offers timely evidence that

investing in zero waste, not incinerators, is the fastest, fairest, and most effective way

to fight climate change.”

—GAIA Media Advisory 🌍 About GAIA

GAIA is a network of grassroots groups and alliances representing more than 1,000 organizations from 100 countries, working toward a just, toxic-free world without incineration.

www.no-burn.org

City Estate Embraces Air Quality Monitors

Residents in Nyayo Estate Nairobi in evening walks in the estate

A walk through Nyayo estate Embakasi in Nairobi whether early morning or evening and even during the day, one will not fail to hear the laughter of children playing, notice residents leisurely strolling along pavements as birds chirp and leaves rustle and trees sway to the wind.

It paints a picture of fresh air and serenity, however what one will not see are the tiny particles floating in the air- so small they slip straight into ones lungs.

Mounted on the lamp posts and corners of apartment blocks are small box like air monitors. These measure the quality of air residents breathe every second.

Why Monitors Matter

Air pollution is a silent killer. The World Health Organisation says the safe annual average for fine particles (PM2.5) is 5 micrograms per cubic metre. Nairobis average in 2020 was about 14.7- nearly three times the recommended level.

This means that every day, Nairobi residents are breathing air thats dirtier than it should be. Cars, motorbikes, factories and even open waste burning add to the problem. Transport alone contributes 40 per cent of the city's pollution.

Nyayo Estate management is not oblivious to this reality and thus has installed air monitors across the vast estate estimated to house 20,000 households.

WHAT RESIDENTS SAY

"When I first saw the monitor at Gate D, I thought it was just a light box, Now I check the readings on my phone. If the levels of toxins are high, i ensure my children stay indoors and i close the windows