Determinants of biogas technology development and use as an alternative source of energy in Mombasa county, Kenya
Abstract
Biogas is a gas produced as a result of anaerobic respiration of organic matter under particular
conditions. Biogas has been promoted in developed and developing countries and in some parts
of Kenya more so the central and western regions. The research study focuses on some of the
determinants of biogas technology development and use in Mombasa County. The objective of
the research project study was to find out how determinants like availability of raw materials,
awareness, maintenance and management practices and the availability of funds influence the
development and use of biogas in Mombasa County. The research was carried out targeting
schools, that is, boarding and lunch providing schools due to their fuel demand, farmers,
restaurants, prisons and the municipal wastage disposal agents due to biodegradable materials
availability in these sectors (inputs). Biogas development in Kenya, particularly in Mombasa
County is moving at a snail’s speed and therefore, the research intends to determine whether
the availability of raw materials, awareness, maintenance practices and the availability of fund
do influence the development of biogas technology. The researcher opted for a descriptive
survey of research design. Questionnaires, interviews and content analysis were instruments
used for data collection and the data collected was computed in frequency distribution tables.
The measure of central tendency and relationship/association were used to show the
relationship between the variables and the development of biogas technology. From the
research analysis it shows that factors like availability of raw materials, maintenance and
management practices and level of education attained do not influence biogas development, but
the availability of funds, promoters and availability of trained personnel/skilled manpower were
seen to have a major effect. Thus for biogas technology to take root in Mombasa County the
government of Kenya together with the county government should encourage his citizens to
venture and invest in biogas by either subsidizing them and even charging fee on landfills.
Finally the government together with other stakeholder should promote biogas in
schools/institutions and prisons which can then be used to sensitize others to promote it
development.
Citation
Masters of Arts in Project Planning and ManagementPublisher
University of Nairobi
Collections
- Faculty of Education (FEd) [5979]