Identifying behavioural drivers of cookstove use: a household study in Kibera, Nairobi

The study identifies that while Kibera households are acutely aware of the health risks associated with charcoal and kerosene, several behavioural and structural barriers prevent the adoption of cleaner alternatives. Key findings highlight a lack of awareness regarding high-efficiency stoves, price misperceptions due to daily fuel purchasing habits, and the significant role of aspirational thinking and personality traits like risk-taking in technology uptake. The researchers also demonstrate that 'cultural probes' (disposable cameras) are effective tools for eliciting sensitive socio-cultural data in slum environments.

• Households in Kibera typically use a combination of stoves, relying on charcoal jikos for slow-cooking staples and kerosene wick stoves for quick tasks, while electricity is primarily used for lighting due to safety fears and unreliable supply.
• There is a high level of awareness regarding the dangers of carbon monoxide from charcoal stoves, with many respondents reporting personal knowledge of deaths or serious illnesses caused by exposure in poorly ventilated spaces.
• Many households lack an accurate understanding of their total monthly energy spending because they purchase fuel in small, daily quantities, leading them to underestimate the potential economic benefit of efficient stoves.
• A significant barrier to the adoption of improved cookstoves is a lack of information; very few households were aware that high-efficiency charcoal stoves are available in Nairobi.
• Aspirational thinking—associating modern appliances with an improved quality of life and higher social status—is a key driver for those who have invested in LPG or electric stoves.
• Individual personality traits, specifically risk-taking and a desire to be a 'trendsetter', influence the early adoption of new energy technologies and the subsequent diffusion of these ideas through the community.
• Ten interviewed households expressed a willingness to pay up to 3,000 KES for a high-efficiency charcoal stove, particularly if payment could be made in instalments.
• The use of cultural probes, such as disposable cameras, helped researchers build trust and elicit sensitive information that traditional interviews might miss, such as illegal electricity connections and health statuses.

APA

Lambe, F., & Senyagwa, J. (2015). Identifying behavioural drivers of cookstove use: a household study in Kibera, Nairobi. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-WP-2015-06-Kibera-cookstoves-behaviour.pdf

Chicago

Lambe, Fiona, and Jacqueline Senyagwa. Identifying behavioural drivers of cookstove use: a household study in Kibera, Nairobi. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2015. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-WP-2015-06-Kibera-cookstoves-behaviour.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lambe |first1=Fiona |last2=Senyagwa |first2=Jacqueline |title=Identifying behavioural drivers of cookstove use: a household study in Kibera, Nairobi |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=June 2015 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-WP-2015-06-Kibera-cookstoves-behaviour.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lambe2015identifying, author = {Lambe, Fiona and Senyagwa, Jacqueline}, title = {{Identifying behavioural drivers of cookstove use: a household study in Kibera, Nairobi}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2015}, month = jun, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-WP-2015-06-Kibera-cookstoves-behaviour.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }