By Fred Deya
Elderly women from south Kanyaluo in Kenya’s Homabay County are leading green energy revolution by obtaining solar rechargeable lamps from Sun-King solar lamp company then lease to various homes at a cheap price. The project that was initiated by a group of women through formation a local community based organization -Green Shamba (green, leafy suburbs) is scaling heights in terms of ‘operations eliminate smoky wick lamps in the village’.
Reciting in a luo dialect– amor (am happy), a bloom smile on Monica Anyango’s face gives an array of exactly what the old woman is a happy for; a rechargeable solar lamp that she carefully holds on her right hand keen not to make any silly mistake of either knocking it against the wall or dropping it to break.
“I am a happy old woman for having this wonderful solar lamp and I have to thanks the Community Based Organization in this village for their good effort to eliminate the use of smoky wick lamps that for decades has been our major source of lighting with all its health hazards ”, Said 70 year old Monica.
Monica was given the solar lamp back in 2014 by Green Shamba , a group that was formed by old women in South Kanyaluo sub-location with a gender to improve the livelihood of poor men and women, especially widows.
According to the mother of five, the lamp was given on favorable conditions because of their poor financial status. She said that 3,500 ksh ($ 35) was to be paid in three installments in order to fully have the lamp which seemed pocket friendly.
The solar lamp is purchased together with a small solar panel that is used to recharge the lamp during the day. If the lamp is fully charged, it has the capacity operate for at least eight hours.
The device can also be used to recharge mobile phones after charge or on charging process without any power alteration.
Monica said that she nearly lost her sight due to smoky lamp and her children were also affected by the wick lamp that they habitually used to study at night. At the moment, the aging woman is going to eye clinic to clean her eyes because she had kissed goodbye to the unpleasant kerosene lamps and has fully embraced the green light.
“At the moment am visiting eye clinic at our district hospital to clean my infected eyes as a result of smoky kerosene lamps that I had been using for many year. I have now fully embraced the use of solar lamp which is affordable and easy to manage”, narrated Monica.
Up to now, Monica owns two solar lamps. One is used by her high and primary school children to study at night and another one is for lighting her house.
Kennedy Ager, Monica’s son told us that his performance in school has improved since he started using the solar lamp to study at night. He hopes to pass his primary education final exams that he will sit for next year.
“I am confident to pass my final exams next year because I have enough time to study at night and under conducive atmosphere”, said Ager.
The CBO’s aim was to introduce the modern farming system in different villages in South Kanyaluo whereby the solar lamp distribution became their co-investment agenda.
According to Everlyn Ogoma, Green Shamba CBO co-worker and the project’s coordinator in South Kanyaluo sub location, the lamp distribution project became their co-agenda of poverty down cut among the low incomes. She said that the project has seen many homes improve in terms of green light revolution.
“Let me tell you that this solar thing is just amazing and they love it far and wide. The purchase price could be seen high but the fact that they pay through installments, everything has been harmonized and many homes have embraced the use of clean light”, Ogoma reinstated.
Over 100 homes have got at least a piece of solar lamp with some have up to four pieces. Ogoma said that the project of solar distribution is picking well, aiming to widely expand to more home in the near future.
Even though the world is committed to embrace alternatives energy sources to reduce emissions that are warming the environment, stubborn developing countries are still resistant to the idea. However, the argument is currently losing its validity because the cost of renewable energy has steadily dropped.
Kenya is among the developing countries that have been applauded for embracing the use of clean energy.
United Nations Environmental program tenth report on renewable energy indicated a mega expenditure of up to $286 billion on clean energy investment.
