Kenya: KOKO Network’s high-tech bioethanol cookers are accelerating the transition toward clean energy
Charcoal for household cooking is the largest driver of deforestation in Africa. It is responsible for 2 million hectares of deforestation and 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Cooking indoors with dirty fuel sources releases dangerous particulate matter. According to the WHO, a staggering 4 million people die from illnesses caused by indoor air pollution each year. Transitioning to clean cooking solutions is, therefore, critical to reducing forest degradation and improving the health of households.
In 2019, following more than five years of R&D, Kenya-based KOKO Networks (KOKO) launched a cooking solution that focuses on the last-mile distribution of bioethanol. Its tech-enabled model aims to reduce demand for carbon-intensive products such as charcoal and kerosene at scale and provide an affordable alternative for cooking.
The company manufactures a two-burner KOKO Cooker, which runs efficiently on KOKO Fuel, a liquid bioethanol produced by Kenya’s local sugar industry. Each KOKO Cooker is equipped with a smart KOKO Canister, unique to each customer, that enables access to an expansive network of high-tech ‘KOKO Point’ Fuel ATMs. These are refilled by a fleet of Smart MicroTankers, which undertake the last-mile distribution. The fuel ATMs are located inside neighborhood stores across cities and are cashless, web-enabled smart machines that dispense fuel safely into canisters. The cookers, fuel, ATMs, and Smart MicroTankers are managed through KOKO’s cloud system, which utilizes various mobile and IoT technologies.
Complementing this, KOKO has tapped into the international carbon market by utilizing more than US$100 million in carbon finance to subsidize clean energy cooking in Kenya. By switching African households away from charcoal use to sustainable biofuel, KOKO can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which allows them to generate audited carbon credits for the international market. Its software-integrated bioethanol cookers measure its carbon impact and issue carbon credits, which are audited in voluntary carbon markets. These credits are then offered to companies that are truly committed to using their net zero pledges to drive scalable solutions in the conservation of forests in Africa.
KOKO is making notable strides in its journey. The energy start-up already sells carbon credits into the compliance market in South Korea and is starting a similar scheme in Singapore. A new partnership with Mizuho Bank is expected to enable further sales of carbon credits in Japan from 2026.
Supported by its carbon credit sales, KOKO is now looking to launch in Rwanda, targeting 1 million households. The enterprise benefits from the strong regulatory support from African governments, including Rwanda, which signed an investment agreement of US$25 million in 2022 to establish the world’s first nationwide renewable cooking fuel utility. Through the development of its AI-integrated bioethanol cooker, it hopes to accelerate the transition to a less carbon-heavy and pollutive fuel source and help build a sustainable future that enables a just transition in the Global South.
