Factors Influencing Access To Renewable Energy By Rural Households In Kenya: A Case Of Simgas Biogas Project In Central Imenti, Meru County

Abstract

Adoption of renewable sources of energy has been low in rural areas due to varying factors like poverty levels, nature of human settlements and dispersed populations. In Central Imenti, Meru County, most of the rural population use kerosene for lighting and charcoal or firewood for cooking which are known to have caused many health problems due to the carbon emitted as well as burns caused by the open flames, the huge risks of house fires and suffocation from use of these traditional fuels. The study established the factors influencing access to renewable energy by rural households in Kenya, A case of Simgas Biogas Project in Central Imenti, Meru County. The study was guided by the following objectives: to establish influence of household income, availability of information, cost analysis and availability of alternative source of energy on access to renewable energy by rural households in Central Imenti, Meru County in Kenya. The study was grounded on resource dependence theory. For this study, a descriptive research design was undertaken to ascertain and be able to describe the characteristics of variables of interest. The target population was 512 that include; the Meru County Energy Department officials, Community leaders, Ministry of Energy, Project managers and SIMGAS Biogas Project officials. To obtain the desired sample size of 216 for the study with the population of 512, Nassiuma formula was used. Stratified random sampling was used. Primary data was obtained using self-administered questionnaires. After data cleaning, which entailed checking for errors in entry, descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, mean score, standard deviation and coefficient of variation was estimated for all the quantitative variables. The qualitative data from the open-ended questions was analyzed using conceptual content analysis. Multiple regression analysis was used to establish the relations between the independent and dependent variables. The information was presented in form of tables. The employment status of household heads, level of household income and the ability to pay influenced the access to renewable energy to a great extent. The availability of information proved to be of very great influence on the access to renewable energy. technical knowhow influenced access to renewable energy in rural households very greatly while the ease of access and installation cost influence access to renewable energy in rural households greatly. The types of alternative energy sources influence the access to renewable energy by rural households in Meru County very greatly while reliability, affordability and individual preferences influence the access to renewable energy by rural households in Meru County. The study concluded that availability of information had the greatest effect on the access to renewable energy by rural households in Central Imenti, followed by cost analysis, then household income while availability of alternative source of energy had the least effect to the access to renewable energy by rural households in Central Imenti. The study recommends that the government could arrange for a plan that allows households to pay an agreeable small amount of money per month in a bid to increase the use of renewable energy. The study further recommends that Ministry of Energy should provide training and education to increase the availability of information and awareness on the use of renewable energy