In Kenya’s Maasai Mara, wildlife and people live side by side. The region is world-renowned for its biodiversity, including elephants, lions, rhinos, and hundreds of bird species. It is also home to the Maasai people, whose livelihoods, culture, and traditions are deeply connected to the land.

Many households in the region still rely on firewood for cooking. Across rural Africa, cooking with biomass remains common—and it comes with significant consequences. Collecting firewood requires time and labor, contributes to environmental degradation, exposes families to harmful indoor air pollution, and can place people at risk when gathering fuel in areas inhabited by wildlife.

To explore a different path forward, SELF recently completed a pilot project testing solar-electric cooking technologies in the Olchoro-Oirouwa Conservancy in the northern Maasai Mara.

Why Clean Cooking Matters

The Pilot Project

SELF partnered with PESITHO to deploy ECOCA solar-electric cookstoves, or “e-cookers,” within the conservancy. In addition to cooking food, the e-cookers are equipped with three solar-powered lamps to enable nighttime lighting and two charging ports for phones and other devices.

The pilot was designed to assess whether the e-cookers could help:

• Reduce reliance on traditional biomass fuels, such as firewood
• Lower exposure to indoor air pollution
• Reduce carbon emissions
• Decrease safety risks associated with firewood collection
• Improve household energy access and quality of life
• Support both community livelihoods and wildlife conservation

The project included:

• Community consultations and assessments
• Cooking demonstrations for households and institutions
• Training for local technicians
• Installation of solar-electric cooking systems
• User feedback collection and performance monitoring

As part of the project, more than 70 community members received training on solar-electric cooking, while six local technicians were trained in system installation, maintenance, and repair. Seven multigenerational households received an e-cooker. Three additional e-cookers were provided to the ranger station at a local rhino sanctuary.

Gathering the Data

In the months following installation, feedback was collected from participating households to better understand how the systems were being used and what impacts users were experiencing.

The evaluation focused on several key questions:

• How often were households using the systems?
• Were users saving time or money?
• Were households using the systems for lighting and charging as well as cooking?

Early Findings

Strong Adoption and Daily Use

Feedback suggests that adoption has been strong among participating households.

• 100% reported cooking with the system daily
• 84% reported using it to prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner

These findings suggest that solar-electric cooking can meet a wide range of everyday cooking needs.

Solar Supports More Than Cooking

Participants also used the systems to power lighting and charge small electronic devices.

• 92% of respondents reported using the ECOCA units to light their homes
• 46% reported charging at least three devices per day using the units

This additional functionality increases the value of the systems by providing households with multiple energy services from a single solar installation.

Reported Financial Savings

Participants reported saving money after adopting the systems.

• 76% of respondents estimated monthly savings ranging from approximately 1,300 to 3,500 Kenyan shillings through reduced spending on cooking fuel, lighting, and charging services

While additional monitoring will be needed to validate long-term savings, the early results are encouraging.

Time Savings Create New Opportunities

Participants also reported meaningful time savings.

• Most households estimated saving between one and four hours per day, while some reported even greater reductions in time spent on cooking-related activities

Community members reported using this additional time for activities such as creating traditional crafts and participating in cultural performances that support local tourism and livelihoods.

Health, Climate, and Conservation Benefits

By reducing dependence on firewood, solar-electric cooking can help address several challenges at once.

• All participating households reported reduced exposure to indoor smoke
• The project team estimates that the pilot will reduce carbon emissions by 30 tons of CO₂ equivalent annually

Equally important, reducing the need to gather firewood may help lower the risk of human-wildlife conflict while supporting conservation efforts in one of Africa’s most important wildlife regions.

Looking Ahead

The Maasai Mara pilot represents an important first step in understanding the role that solar-electric cooking can play in remote communities.

SELF will continue monitoring participating households to better understand long-term impacts related to cost savings, health outcomes, emissions reductions, and quality of life. The lessons learned from this pilot will help inform future program design and expansion efforts.

As our global community works to advance access to clean energy, projects like this demonstrate how solar power can deliver measurable benefits for people and the planet.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is solar-electric cooking?

Solar-electric cooking uses energy captured from the sun to power electric cookstoves, replacing the need for firewood or other biomass fuels. Solar-electric cookstoves, or e-cookers, can meet a wide range of everyday cooking needs while producing no indoor smoke or emissions. Solar-electric cooking differs from traditional forms of solar cooking, which in most cases depend on thermal heat from the sun and do not allow for indoor cooking.

Why do many households in the Maasai Mara still rely on firewood for cooking?

Many households in rural Kenya and across Africa lack access to electricity or affordable clean cooking alternatives, making firewood the most accessible option. However, firewood dependence comes with significant costs—including time spent collecting fuel, exposure to harmful indoor air pollution, environmental degradation, and increased risk of human-wildlife conflict in conservation areas like the Maasai Mara.

What is the ECOCA e-cooker?

The ECOCA is a solar-electric cookstove developed by PESITHO. The cookstove includes a burner, as well as solar-powered lamps for nighttime lighting and charging ports for phones and other devices.

What did the pilot project find?

Early findings from the pilot were encouraging. All participating households reported cooking with the system daily, and 84% reported using it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Participants also reported meaningful financial savings, with 76% estimating monthly savings of between 1,300 and 3,500 Kenyan shillings. Most households reported saving between one and four hours per day previously spent on cooking-related activities.

How does solar cooking support wildlife conservation?

Reducing dependence on firewood lowers the need for community members to collect fuel in areas inhabited by wildlife, which can help reduce the risk of human-wildlife conflict, while preserving habitat. In a landscape as ecologically significant as the Maasai Mara, this is an important co-benefit of expanding access to clean cooking technologies.

What are the environmental benefits of solar-electric cooking?

Solar-electric cooking can reduce carbon emissions associated with biomass cooking fuels, such as firewood. By replacing these fuels, solar cooking also reduces pressure on local ecosystems and helps protect the forests and vegetation that communities and wildlife depend on.

How can I support SELF’s work in the Maasai Mara and beyond?

You can support the Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) by making a donation. Your contribution helps fund solar-powered solutions that improve health, expand economic opportunity, and advance conservation in off-grid communities around the world.