GREEN AND CLEAN ENERGY IN ALEGO USONGA.
We visited Alego Usonga constituency as part of an ongoing series of collaborations
between NALSA(K) and Proudly Kenyan meant to empower people in different
constituencies throughout the country through NALSA(K) members.
There’s keen interest in how Alego Usonga constituency, Siaya county is adopting green energy methods
to protect the environment. True to the call, we witnessed the launch of a one of a kind
project: tree planting and briquette making. Fifty women groups in Alego-Usonga that merge
under the umbrella body Women United For Our Future (WUFOF) will benefit from the
project. The Alego project is particularly unique as the women groups have climate action as
their objective through tree planting and briquette making. Salome Atandi, NALSA(K)’s vice-
chair, also serves as the chair of WUFOF. She expressed gratitude to the people of Alego
for their willingness to participate in this project.
In adherence to the Ministry of Health protocols on COVID- 19, only 15 of the 50 women
groups attended the colourful ceremony held on 7th January 2022 at GOFIT Tailors, Siaya,
to launch the project. Their exuberance exhibits the prospects ahead for green energy since
it’s now clear it is neither a pollutant nor a cause for deforestation.
Why briquettes?
The project seeks to reduce carbon emissions resulting from burning natural waste and
introduce to our homes and institutions an improved renewable energy technology that will
utilize briquettes as a source of fuel.
According to WUFOF, the primary objectives for the Alego-Usonga groups are:
- To build capacities of registered women groups to produce briquettes from natural waste
and farm residues as an alternative and efficient energy source. - To rehabilitate degraded areas through planting 15,000 trees and fruits in Alego Usonga
and Sub-County within six months. - To establish briquette production units with registered women groups in Alego Usonga
sub-county within six months.
Socio-economic benefits
The briquette technology produces fuel at less cost, less cooking time, and less
infrastructure. Additionally, its production utilizes local resources like agricultural waste and
has smokeless fuel.
Beyond training the women in briquette making, WUFOF will play a role in helping make the
briquettes marketable. So aside from the employment opportunities and income generation
for the women groups, the end product is low-cost fuel that saves our environment from
further degradation. It’s a win-win situation.
NALSA(K) objectives
The initiative is aligned to NALSA(K)’s: to offer a supportive role to our spouses and initiate
empowerment projects within our community.
This is not the first project Mrs Atandi has worked on that benefits her community. She has
previously donated equipment to the maternity wing of the Mur Malanga dispensary. Her
donation helped the dispensary move from a level two to a level three facility.
Proudly Kenyan presence.
Proudly Kenyan’s chairperson, Paul Nguru and organizing secretary, Tiffany Muema, also
graced the ceremony. In his speech, Mr Nguru expressed gratitude to NALSA(K) for helping
Proudly Kenyan realize their vision to promote local products through co-branding and
campaign for the informal sector to formalize their businesses so that they can be
competitive with companies in the local economy and even abroad. He made it clear that the
ongoing events across Kenya aim to promote local products.
Conclusion.
Our last project launch in November 2021 benefitted teen mothers and special needs
students in Kaloleni Constituency. Alego-Usonga has adopted green energy in briquette
making. We will be back to Alego to witness the next phase in their plan, tree planting. We
eagerly look forward to seeing what the rest of the constituencies across Kenya have in
store for their constituents. Stay tuned!
Post by Brian Anyanzwa & Sophia Wanyonyi.
Photographs and video by Julia Laval.