Duale Imposes New Charcoal Regulations

Kenyans who rely on charcoal for cooking may soon be forced to spend more on fuel after the government introduced new regulations for charcoal producers.

In the latest proposal, Environment Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale outlined plans for the registration and licensing of all commercial charcoal producers as part of efforts to enhance environmental conservation.

Under the proposed law, no person will be allowed to engage in the commercial production of charcoal without a valid charcoal production licence issued by their respective county government.

According to the proposal, charcoal production must not be conducted in ecologically sensitive areas, biodiversity hotspots, areas that threaten or endanger species, or locations of cultural significance.

A charcoal producer must also ensure that any charcoal they generate is sorted and packaged in synthetic fibre sacks, paper, gunny bags, or plastic film sacks.

The charcoal bags or sacks must be labelled with the name and address of the charcoal producer, the area and county of production, the weight, the tree species from which the charcoal was made, and the technology used for charcoal production.

Furthermore, a forest officer will be tasked with regularly conducting surveillance and inspections to ensure that charcoal producers, transporters, traders, importers, and exporters comply with the new regulations