On February 26, 2025, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, with support from UKAid and in partnership with the Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) and the National Renewable Energy Platform (NREP), held a clean cooking demonstration in Buganda Kingdom. The event aimed to promote modern cooking technologies, encourage their adoption, and highlight their benefits to communities within the kingdom.
The demonstration event comprised delegations from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, Buganda Kingdom, and the British High Commission in Uganda. The delegation from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development was led by Hon. Can. Dr. Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu, while the delegation from the British High Commission by Mr. Benjamin Zeitlyn, and the delegation from Buganda Kingdom by Owek. Twaha Kaawaase Kigongo, the First Deputy Prime Minister.
Key Highlights & Observations
The event kicked off with an inspection of the expo, where the delegation heads explored a variety of clean cooking technologies on display, including LPG cookers, electric pressure cookers, improved cookstoves, induction cookers, solar cookers, and solar-aided stoves. Hon. Nankabirwa shared with Owek. Twaha the tax waivers on ethanol and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) designed to make clean cooking solutions more affordable. Owek. Twaha responded by stressing the importance of local manufacturing of clean cooking appliances and the need to demystify the technologies for last-mile beneficiaries.
Owek. Hajjat Mariam Mayanja Nkalubo, Buganda’s Minister of Environment, Water, and Gender, stressed that investment in clean cooking goes beyond environmental benefits, presenting a social and economic necessity that requires collective action.
Mr. Zeitlyn highlighted the role of culture in shaping behavior and mindset change, sharing that he had only recently learned that electric pressure cookers could prepare local dishes like matooke, luwombo, and molokoni. He disclosed the UK government’s support in establishing a clean cooking unit within the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development and running awareness campaigns across different cities and kingdoms, with Buganda as the pioneer.
In her address, Hon. Nankabirwa requested the Kabaka to encourage women to embrace modern cooking practices and urged husbands and men at large to appreciate traditional meals prepared with clean fuels as opposed to insisting on having their food prepared using charcoal and firewood. The Hon. Minister warned that continued reliance on traditional/unprocessed biomass fuels would have dire environmental consequences, as evidenced by the heatwaves across Uganda. She hinted at the eventual phase-out of charcoal use in urban areas given the wide range of clean cooking options available. She also mentioned initiatives such as the e-cooking tariff to incentivize electric cooking and an agreement with a global gases group to manufacture 500,000 gas cylinders annually for the government of Uganda to aid the promotion of liquefied petroleum gas for cooking.
Owek. Twaha Kaawaase Kigongo appreciated Mr. Zeitlyn’s contributions to Uganda’s renewable energy sector, naming him ‘Mbaziira’ from his own clan. He called on participants to remember that while the population of the world grows, the available land mass and resources remain unchanged, and therefore resources must be used in a sustainable manner. He pledged to leverage Buganda Kingdom’s clan and administrative structures to champion clean cooking, officially launching the clean cooking campaign in the kingdom.
Cooking Demonstration
A key highlight of the event was the live cooking demonstration, where the delegation heads engaged in preparing local dishes using clean cooking technologies. Hon. Can. Dr. Nankabirwa prepared kalo and East African highland bananas (matooke), Owek. Twaha cooked cow hooves (molokoni), and Mr. Zeitlyn prepared beef. The meals were later served to participants, who expressed surprise that they tasted no different from those cooked using charcoal and firewood. The demonstration reinforced the effectiveness of modern cooking technologies in preserving the taste and aroma of traditional cuisines.
Conclusion & Next Steps
The Buganda Kingdom clean cooking demonstration, held under the Behavioral Change Communication for Electric Cooking (BCCeC) Project, marked the beginning of campaigns within Uganda’s cultural institutions, highlighting the vital role of culture in driving mindset change. The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, NREP, and partners will continue collaborating with the Buganda Kingdom to sustain awareness of clean technologies and fuels, as well as to support initiatives aimed at making them more affordable for the general public.
Building on the momentum of the Buganda Kingdom clean cooking demonstration, a similar event will be held in the Buruuli Kingdom in March 2025, leveraging cultural institutions to promote clean cooking in Uganda.
