The story of the jiko

Jikos, Swahili for cook stoves, are used in just about every household in Kenya. Traditionally, they use large quantities of firewood and heavily pollute indoor environments. Luckily, the jiko also happens to be one of the biggest success stories in Kenyan appropriate technology. Dr. Maxwell Kinyanjui, Founder of Musaki Enterprises, invented an energy-saving stove called the Kenyan Ceramic Jiko (KCJ) in 1982. The idea was to change the shape slightly and add a clay insert to the scrap steel housing to insulate the jiko and use less firewood. Great design, true, but so many great appropriate technologies have been developed and rusted. Here’s what was so brilliant about the Kenyan Ceramic Jiko:

1. It was a very simple switch from the traditional metal jiko (see photo, back) to the clay insert (front)
2. Kinyanjui educated artisans on production of the housing and community groups on the ceramic insert
3. Kinyanjui also educated consumers on the cost savings that would accrue over time from reduced energy

The jikos cost about KSH350 (USD5) and are 30-50% more efficient than the traditional model. By one estimate, they have been adopted in 50% of urban households and 16% of rural homes. By another, they are in active use in 70,000 households, saving 206,000 tonnes of wood and 570,000 hectares of forests each year. In any case, the design has spread not only throughout Kenya, sold in just about every market center in the country, but also to many other countries in Africa.

But Kinyanjui didn’t stop there. He has most recently designed an industrial model called the Kinyanjui Jiko, with several interesting features. The doors open to reveal a clay charcoal holder at the bottom for insulation. And while most stoves ventilate through the top, the vent is actually close the bottom, so the cold air rushes out and the hot air remains! These stoves are more expensive, between KSH10,000 (USD130) and KSH30,000 (USD390) depending on the model, but can still be found all over Gikomba.