Shutdown of Kenya’s Koko biofuel firm wipes out clean cooking options

With Koko Networks shutting down its bioethanol fuel distribution system across Kenya, more than 3,000 Koko fuel points now stand idle, cutting off fuel access for over 1.5 million households that relied on the pay-as-you-go cooking system.

The shutdown followed the company’s failure to secure government authorization to sell carbon credits and obtain import permits for bioethanol. Without those approvals, Koko said its business model was financially unsustainable.

Since 2014, Koko had provided cooking oil to low income households, allowing users to purchase small quantities at low cost. Many households paid the equivalent of about 30 US cents per refill, compared to significantly higher costs for liquefied petroleum gas.

Energy analysts say the closure exposes structural weaknesses in clean cooking models that rely heavily on carbon credit financing. They warn that when such systems fail, households are often forced to return to charcoal or paraffin, increasing health and environmental risks.