TotalEnergies has announced plans to invest about Sh1 billion annually in Kenya to support the expansion of clean cooking solutions, with a major focus on increasing access to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) across the country.
The investment forms part of the company’s broader $400 million programme aimed at expanding LPG use in Africa and India by 2030. The initiative seeks to improve access to cleaner cooking fuels for at least 100 million people over the period.
Speaking during a media briefing in Nairobi, TotalEnergies Marketing Kenya Managing Director Thibault Flichy said Kenya remains a strategic market in the company’s clean energy plans due to government policies that encourage wider LPG adoption.
Under the programme, the company plans to introduce at least 180,000 additional cooking gas cylinders into the Kenyan market each year. The effort is intended to address challenges that have slowed LPG uptake, including affordability, availability and consumer awareness.
Flichy said the company expects to reach more than four million households with LPG solutions by the end of 2026. He noted, however, that illegal refilling of branded gas cylinders remains a significant challenge for the industry, posing both safety and financial risks.
To address the issue, TotalEnergies has introduced a cylinder tracking system designed to monitor the movement and use of its LPG containers. The move comes as Kenyan authorities intensify enforcement actions against illegal operators involved in unauthorized cylinder refilling.
The company also pledged support for Kenya’s target of raising LPG penetration from the current 24 percent to 70 percent by 2028 as part of the country’s clean energy transition strategy.
Industry data show that LPG consumption in Kenya continued to grow strongly in 2025, driven by government incentives and increasing household migration from traditional fuels such as firewood, charcoal and kerosene. At the same time, kerosene use has declined sharply as more consumers adopt cleaner alternatives.
The Kenyan government is pursuing several initiatives to make LPG more affordable, including reforms to import systems and the development of shared infrastructure for storage and distribution. Authorities are also implementing a national clean cooking programme aimed at moving schools and public institutions away from biomass fuels.
TotalEnergies Commercial Specialties and LPG Manager Henry Kwame said expanding access to LPG is critical to reducing health and environmental problems linked to traditional cooking methods. He added that LPG can significantly lower household emissions while providing a practical and scalable energy option.
The company’s clean cooking strategy is further supported through a partnership with M-Gas, which allows households to pay for cooking gas in small amounts based on usage. The model is designed to reduce upfront costs and make LPG more accessible to lower-income families.
