Determinants of Cooking Fuel Choices Among Households in Mwala Sub-County, Machakos County, Kenya

This study investigated the determinants of cooking fuel choices among households in Mwala Sub-County, Machakos County, Kenya, against the backdrop of continued reliance on traditional biomass fuels despite increasing global efforts to promote clean energy. The study sought to establish how demographic, socio-economic, and situational factors influence household cooking fuel choices. Specifically, it examined the relationship between demographic characteristics, socio-economic conditions, and situational factors with household fuel preferences. The study was anchored on the Energy Ladder Theory, Fuel Stacking Theory, Consumer Theory, and Sustainable Development Theory. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted, involving 381 households selected through two-stage cluster sampling from three wards: Mbiuni, Mwala, and Masii. Data were collected using structured questionnaires administered through KoboToolbox and analyzed using descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression in SPSS Version 26. The research instrument demonstrated good reliability with a Cronbach's Alpha coefficient of 0.779. The findings revealed that firewood was the dominant cooking fuel, used by 61.7% of households, followed by LPG (26.5%) and charcoal (9.2%), while electricity, biogas, and kerosene accounted for only a small proportion of household energy use. Cost emerged as the most influential factor in fuel choice, followed by dependence on traditional fuels, health concerns, and environmental considerations. The demographic model showed that age, gender, and household size significantly influenced cooking fuel choices, with older, male-headed, and larger households being more likely to rely on firewood. Socio-economic factors, particularly home ownership and household income, were the strongest predictors of clean fuel adoption, while situational factors revealed that greater distance from fuel markets significantly reduced the likelihood of adopting LPG, charcoal, and kerosene. The study concludes that household cooking fuel choices are shaped by the combined effects of demographic, economic, and infrastructural factors. It recommends income-sensitive LPG subsidy programmes, expansion of rural fuel distribution infrastructure, gender-responsive clean cooking initiatives, and inclusive policies targeting both homeowners and tenants to accelerate the transition to clean cooking and support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 7 in rural Kenya.