State Minister for Minerals Phiona Nyamutoro has offered free electric cookers to a fan’s grandmother and mother as part of her efforts to promote cleaner cooking methods and reduce Uganda’s dependence on charcoal and firewood.
The minister made the offer after a social media user identified as Mamisolo responded to her clean cooking campaign post on X, asking whether she could buy electric cookers for his grandmother and mother. Nyamutoro agreed to provide the two cookers free of charge.
“If this is your personal request, I will actually offer the two of them free of charge to recruit an X advocate as the Ministry has been doing during the Clean Cooking campaign in different areas,” Nyamutoro wrote in response.
The social media user welcomed the offer and asked when he could collect the cookers. The minister promised to contact him the following day, while her gesture attracted further attention from other followers who also requested free electric cookers.
Nyamutoro’s initiative comes as the government continues promoting alternative energy sources to reduce reliance on charcoal and firewood. The campaign seeks to encourage households to adopt cleaner cooking technologies as part of broader efforts to improve access to modern energy solutions.
The minister’s social media engagement followed a parliamentary debate on October 14 about restrictions on charcoal use and the availability of affordable alternatives. Responding to concerns raised by Leader of the Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi, she said the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development was promoting liquefied petroleum gas, electric cooking, ethanol and biogas.
Nyamutoro also pointed to an electricity tariff designed to encourage electric cooking but acknowledged that government distribution of free cooking-gas cylinders had not met demand. She told Parliament that the cost of cylinders and their accessories remained a challenge for households seeking to switch to alternative cooking methods.
The ministry is expected to present a comprehensive report to Parliament on October 21, outlining progress and plans for alternative cooking energy. Nyamutoro has also publicly encouraged leaders and ordinary Ugandans to embrace cleaner cooking options, saying she had stopped using charcoal after joining the ministry. Her latest offer has added a personal dimension to the campaign, which aims to encourage more households across Uganda to move towards cleaner energy.
