Koko Fuel is a liquid bioethanol (an agrofuel made from organic substance editor’s note), which could henceforth be used as an alternative to firewood and charcoal in Kenyan homes. Koko Networks announced its launch on May 28, 2019. At the same time, it has put on sale adapted stoves to facilitate the use of the new fuel. The products are distributed in collaboration with Vivo Energy Kenya.
To facilitate the use of the new fuel, Koko Network has set up a distribution network in stores in Nairobi. There are a total of 700 outlets. To obtain supplies, customers must use smart cans that they buy in advance via M-Pesa, a mobile money transfer agency. They then take the contents home to power the Koko cooker, a modern two-burner ethanol stove designed by the company. Maintenance, provisioning and payment services are then managed remotely via IoT sensors that communicate with the Koko Networks platform.
Present at the pre-launch of the platform in March, Betty Maina, Director General of the Ministry of Industry, said: “The technology we are launching today is exciting and shows what we can do together. The future is bright for affordable energy in Kenya. We have been looking for solutions for affordable and functional energy and I believe that Koko offers this opportunity.”
The fact remains that the analysis of the life cycle of agrofuels sometimes shows unexpected and controversial aspects. Koko Network provides little information on the subject so far….
Luchelle Feukeng