OPINION
By Doreen Asasira, Environmentalist and Climate Advocate
As Uganda prepares to mark International Women’s Day on March 8, the spotlight on gender equality must extend beyond leadership into the everyday realities shaping women’s lives. One critical but often overlooked issue is clean cooking.
Despite government commitments, the Auditor General’s 2025 report reveals that Uganda’s progress in shifting households from firewood and charcoal to clean cooking technologies remains slow and fragmented. Many communities still lack access to affordable and reliable alternatives, leaving women—who are the primary managers of household cooking—exposed to health risks, long hours of fuel collection, and lost economic opportunities.
The report highlights challenges such as poor coordination among institutions, weak monitoring systems, and limited public awareness campaigns. Without stronger oversight and accountability, interventions risk staying on paper rather than transforming households.
The economic dimension is equally important. Access to clean cooking frees women’s time for farming, entrepreneurship, and education, while also opening opportunities in new energy value chains. This makes clean cooking not just a development issue but a pathway to women’s empowerment.
Environmentally, Uganda’s reliance on biomass fuels continues to drive deforestation and ecosystem degradation. Transitioning to clean cooking would protect forests, improve public health, and strengthen climate resilience.
With only four years left to achieve SDG 7, Uganda faces a decisive moment. Success will depend on government institutions translating policy into practice, but also on placing women at the center of the transition. Women’s involvement in designing, distributing, and promoting clean cooking solutions ensures adoption rates rise because the technologies reflect real household needs.
As the nation celebrates International Women’s Day, empowering women to lead the clean cooking revolution would be a fitting tribute, transforming kitchens from smoke-filled spaces into hubs of sustainability, health, and opportunity.
By Doreen Asasira, Environmentalist and Climate Advocate.
