National Energy Policy - Final Draft - 14 Nov 2013

gas is also considered a biomass source. Biomass resources can be replenished throughcultivation of crops such as fast growing trees and grass.2. Biomass fuels are the most important source of primary energy in Kenya with wood-fuel(firewood and charcoal) accounting for over 68% of the total primary energy consumption. About55% of this is derived from farmlands in the form of woody biomass as well as crop residue andanimal waste and the remaining 45% is derived from forests.3. Studies on biomass energy point to a widening gap between supply and demand for wood-fuel,a challenge that requires dedicated policy interventions to redress. Wood-fuel supply does notmatch demand over various parts of the country (see Figure 3.1 below).4. In spite of past efforts to promote wood fuel substitutes, the number of people relying on woodfuel is not decreasing. Consequently, wood fuel will continue to be the primary source of energyfor the majority of the rural population and urban poor for as long as it takes to transform therural economy from subsistence to a highly productive economy.Figure 3.1 Wood Fuel Supply-Demand BalanceSource: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) 20105. Wood fuel supply management is crucial to ensure sustainable supply to meet the growingdemand. Key issues here include: competing land use activities, the growing imbalancebetween supply and demand and the attendant adverse environmental as well as related landand tree tenure issues, among others.6. The Government has promoted Agro forestry and social forestry programmes to increase thestock of woody biomass on farms to make up for the loss of forest trees as forestland isconverted into agricultural and settlement land. This is a multidisciplinary effort involving theMinistries of Energy, Agriculture and Environment and Natural Resources.52 NATIONAL ENERGY POLICY FINAL DRAFT NOVEMBER 2013