The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development has called on Ugandans to embrace electric cooking and move away from firewood and charcoal, saying the transition is critical to protecting lives, reducing environmental degradation and helping the country meet its climate commitments. Minister of State for Energy, Hon. Sidronius Okaasai, told the Climate Change Committee chaired by Hon. Aggrey Bagiire on Thursday, 13 August 2026, that Uganda’s continued dependence on biomass for cooking remains a major obstacle to the transition to cleaner energy. “The policy of the ministry is to move our population from that dirty energy which they use for cooking,” Okaasai said. He said the continued use of firewood and charcoal damages the environment and exposes households to health risks, particularly women and children who spend more time around cooking areas. Okaasai said the ministry was promoting electricity for cooking among households with access to the national grid, arguing that the special cooking tariff makes electricity a viable alternative to charcoal and firewood. “There is a tariff for cooking. It is the lowest, lowest tariff that we have,” he told MPs. The minister said the government was also promoting electric cooking in public institutions, including schools that have traditionally relied on firewood. “We are actually pushing them to leave the biomass and go back to using electricity,” Okaasai said. He said the transition to cleaner energy should also extend to transport, with government seeking to reduce reliance on petrol and diesel through electric mobility. “We must adopt low-carbon release vehicles,” he said adding, “And then moving from now the diesel, petrol vehicles to e-mobility.” The Ministry said Uganda will require about $28.1 billion to implement its climate commitments, with officials telling MPs that the major challenge is no longer developing policies but securing the financing needed to implement them at scale. Dr Brian Isabirye, Commissioner in the Energy Resources Department, said Uganda already has a substantial policy and legal framework, including the Energy Policy 2023, the Climate Change Act 2026 and the Energy Transition Plan. However, he said financing remained a major challenge, particularly because a significant share of the required resources would have to come from international climate finance. Isabirye said climate action in the energy sector must be linked to Uganda’s economic development, given the expected increase in energy demand resulting from industrialisation, urbanisation and growth in transport. The Ministry also warned that Uganda’s ability to expand renewable energy will increasingly depend on strengthening the electricity grid. According to the Ministry’s submission, the expansion of solar and wind power is being constrained by the capacity of the transmission system to integrate new generation, rather than by a shortage of renewable energy resources. The Ministry is therefore prioritising measures to improve grid flexibility, including battery storage, transmission reinforcement, improved forecasting, dispatch optimisation, demand response and smart charging. Committee Chair Hon. Bagiire said MPs would support efforts to increase the use of clean energy but questioned how government would reconcile Uganda’s planned oil production with its climate commitments. “We are going to produce our oil, but talking about electric cars, how are you going to balance that since we are saying the carbon fuels are a greenhouse danger?” he asked. Bagiire also questioned the affordability of electric cooking appliances, saying some households may struggle to meet the cost of the equipment despite the ministry’s push for electric cooking. Hon. Shafigha Wanyenya (NRM, Bungokho County), the committee’s Vice Chairperson, questioned the value for money in the ministry’s programmes, particularly in areas that remain without electricity. “When you talk about energy, they will think about power because that is what drives everything. When we are looking at areas which are not connected and then you are telling us that you want resources, but people are not seeing the work,” she said. Hon. Benadette Chandia Kodili (NRM, Moyo District Woman Representative) said the committee would support the ministry’s efforts but called for tighter regulation of energy-efficient cooking appliances on the market. She urged the ministry to ensure that the various stoves being sold to consumers are genuine and meet the required standards. Chandia said she was surprised to learn that cooking with electricity could be cheaper and said she would test the option herself. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.Media filesDownload logo
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