Bioenergy Potential
Marsabit County exhibits a diverse range of climatic and geographical conditions, encompassing arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs), mountainous regions, deserts, and lakeshores. The county’s vegetation cover accounts for less than 15%, while forest cover remains below 2%. Key indigenous forested areas include the Mt. Marsabit Forest (approximately 152.8 km²) and the Hurri Hills–Mt. Kulal complex, which spans about 750 km². The county experiences a net forest and woodland loss estimated at 5% per annum, primarily driven by human settlement, grazing, and fuelwood extraction. The dominant tree species within these forested zones include Acacia, Athe, and Lgeriyo.
Due to the arid climate and the communal land ownership system, a majority of households (approximately 66.5%) do not own land under natural forest or woodlot. Among the 31.1% who do, most parcels are less than one acre, with only a small fraction owning between 1 and 5 acres. In the few existing planted woodlots, the predominant tree species include Grevillea, Luksina, and Eucalyptus.
Access to woody biomass—used primarily for firewood and charcoal—remains a significant challenge. Households spend an estimated 10 hours per week collecting firewood, reflecting both scarcity and inefficiency in biomass resource utilization. Despite these constraints, over 90% of households in Marsabit County continue to depend on traditional biomass as their main cooking fuel source.
In contrast, while more than 70% of households own livestock, animal waste remains largely untapped as a bioenergy resource. This indicates a substantial opportunity for developing biogas and waste-to-energy systems, which could reduce reliance on traditional biomass, mitigate deforestation, and promote cleaner household energy solutions.
Potential for Bioenergy Production from Crop Residues
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) National Agricultural Production Report, Marsabit County produced approximately 337 tonnes of maize, 226 tonnes of dry beans, 140 tonnes of sorghum, 78 tonnes of green grams, and 60 tonnes of cowpeas in 2023.
The residues generated from these crops constitute an important feedstock for bioenergy production, offering opportunities for briquette and pellet manufacturing as well as biogas generation. Estimation of the bioenergy potential is undertaken by first determining the availability of residual biomass—expressed in tonnes per year—derived from the reported annual crop production.
This approach enables the quantification of recoverable crop residues and supports the assessment of their technical potential for sustainable bioenergy conversion, contributing to cleaner energy solutions and reduced dependence on traditional biomass fuels in the county.
| Residue Producing Crop | Part | Residue to Product Ratio | Residue Recovery Factor | Competition for Residues (other than fuel) | LHV (MJ/kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maize | Stalk | 1.80 | 80% | 60% | 15.00 |
| Maize | Cobs | 0.29 | 100% | 60% | 9.69 |
| Sorghum | Stalk | 4.20 | 80% | 60% | 12.38 |
| Dry Beans | Stalk | 1.10 | 50% | 0% | 16.00 |
| Cowpeas | Stalk | 1.10 | 50% | 0% | 15.00 |
| Green Grams | Stalk | 1.10 | 50% | 0% | 15.00 |
Crops producing residues with high potential for manufacture of briquettes/pellets
Estimated Energy Potential in GJ for crop-specific residues for the year 2023
Bioenergy Yield and Utilization Constraints
As illustrated in the figure above, maize residues exhibit the highest bioenergy potential among the major crops in Marsabit County, with maize stalks contributing approximately 2.90 GJ and maize cobs 0.38 GJ. This is followed by sorghum stalks (2.33 GJ), bean stalks (2.00 GJ), green gram stalks (0.64 GJ), and cowpea stalks (0.50 GJ).
However, findings from focus group discussions reveal significant competition between the use of crop residues for energy production and livestock feed, which constrains the practical availability of agricultural residues for bioenergy conversion. A similar limitation was noted for the utilization of woody biomass for firewood and charcoal, where scarcity and environmental degradation have intensified supply challenges.
Stakeholders therefore emphasized the need to explore alternative bioenergy pathways, such as biogas production and waste-to-energy technologies, to reduce dependency on dwindling biomass resources and enhance energy security and sustainability within the county.
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