Kenya generates over 1.6 million tons of biomass agricultural waste such as sawdust, sugarcane bio-gases and maize cobs annually. 70% of such waste is not economically utilized posing an environmental threat. Utilizing the waste in production of biomass briquettes as an alternative to environmental damaging & unhealthy fuels such as firewood, charcoal and kerosene is a very feasible and profitable idea, as well as a practical intervention for climate change mitigation in Kenya.
It is a concept that IscomTradelink Enterprises, a start-up enterprise registered in the republic of Kenya grasped immediately and has since, its inception addressed community challenges namely, youth unemployment, environmental management, and poverty eradication.
The Enterprise has been developing Moto (fire) Smart Briquettes as cooking and heating fuel made from agricultural wastes and plant residues such as sawdust and maize cobs. This has proven clean, healthy, affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern form of cooking & heating fuel alternative to charcoal, kerosene and firewood.
Iscom TradeLink Enterprises which operates in Uasin Gishu County produces up to 1,100 tons of briquettes per year. The average consumption rate of briquettes per household in the county is an estimated 50kg per month. As such, the expected target market share is an estimated 1% (i.e.1,920) of the total households.
Through EPTF’s Entrepreneurship Training, IscomTradelink, became more active in production and marketing. Additionally, the enterprise was privileged to be among the 1,000 selected entrepreneurs across Africa in the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme 2016. That is not all, the enterprise was selected in the SAG-SEED Replicator and Starter workshops 2016 and 2017 respectively where it was taken through important steps of setting up an Eco-inclusive business.
Armed with such training, it promotes and popularizes the use of biomass briquette through door to door campaign and road shows and distributes them through strategic sales depots as an alternative to charcoal and firewood derived from wood thus enabling households, communities and institutions to save on fuel cost and serve as a model practical intervention for climate change mitigation in the region.
Given that high and increasing demand for wood fuel has continued to pose a major threat to existing forest and other terrestrial ecosystem resources, Iscom Tradelink Enterprises advocates for clean sources of cooking energy as compared to other sources which are detrimental to an individuals’ health.
The Enterprise future plans are to capitalize on waste with an 1,100 ton/year capacity biomass briquettes processing machinery through coordination with strategic sawmills and local farmers for supply of saw dust and other agricultural waste which ultimately based on their objective will eradicate poverty in the context of sustainable development. Further, contribution and realization of the global SDG 7 which roots for access to affordable, reliable , sustainable and modern form of cooking — heating energy for households.