Biomass cookstove improvement has been a global active research area for many decades and has resulted into much progress towards cleaner and more efficient energy conversion cooking devices. Irrespective of the perfection and development of improved cookstoves, many households in Kenya are still using three stone cookstoves. In Baringo County, 71.8% used three stone cookstoves. The focus of research needs to change towards adoption of improved cook stoves. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in rural, peri-urban and urban households regarding current cookstoves types in relation to fuel use categorized as improved and un-improved in Baringo and West Pokot counties. Biomass was the primary fuel in the two counties used in the form of firewood and charcoal at average of 70% and 26% respectively. The main un-improved cookstoves in the two counties were three stone and metallic jiko. The two were commonly used in Baringo County with 28.5% of the households using metallic stove. Whereas in West Pokot, Chepkube was the main cookstove used for cooking at 47.8% seconded by improved three stone at 36.6%. The use of un-improved cookstove was popular in Baringo County at 77.6% while infamous in West Pokot County at 21.7%. The results showed that West Pokot County is more conscious to energy related issues unlike Baringo County. The difference in dynamic of the two Counties in terms of land ownership, access to biofuel, social groupings, availability of cookstove installers and improved jikos could be the reason.

In recent years, clean and improved cooking solutions have significantly evolved globally, generating an attractive market opportunity for enterprises engaging in the provision of innovative cooking appliances, fuels, and financing to speed uptake of the disseminated technologies. Improved Cook stoves (ICS) have been widely touted for their potential to deliver triple wing benefits of improved agricultural productivity, enhanced household health and time savings through reduced scrimmage in sourcing for biomass fuel, and sustainability through reduced local deforestation, further reducing black carbon emissions. Despite decades of promotion, diffusion of ICS has continued to remain slow. This project aimed at investigating the factors that hinder the uptake of ICS in some selected poor villages from Baringo and West Pokot Counties in Kenya, East Africa. Data was collected from 2918 households across 12 villages and analyzed statistically. On average, households spent approximately KES 2149 on fuel per month, covered 2.15 km and spent around 1.5 hours collecting/getting their primary cooking fuel. Majority of the consumers, 94% expressed willingness to pay (WTP) for an ideal cookstove (one that emits less smoke, saves fuel, safe during cooking, easy to light, and that could cook fast). A majority of the consumers (46.5%) preferred to acquire ICSs through equal monthly installments while 40.