This archive report was first published on 14 January 2020.
On January 14, 2020, Safaricom and M-Gas announced a groundbreaking partnership to provide affordable, convenient, and clean cooking solutions to millions of low-income households in Kenya.
The innovative pay-per-use cooking gas solution eliminates the upfront costs of acquiring a filled gas cylinder, which can be as high as Sh6,000.
Under the partnership, customers using cooking energy from M-Gas can access filled gas cylinders and pay per volume used, thanks to smart cards fitted by Safaricom.
Each M-Gas setup comes with a gas cylinder and a two-burner gas cooker provided at no upfront cost.
The cylinder has been fitted with a smart meter that shows how much gas a customer has paid for.
Customers can pay from as little as Sh1, allowing them to access gas for cooking a day's meal.
Payments are made through M-Pesa, and the gas automatically disconnects when a customer has consumed what is paid for.
According to Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph, the partnership will empower millions of Kenyans with affordable access to clean cooking gas, an opportunity previously underserved.
The gas has been introduced in Nairobi's Mukuru kwa Njenga slum and will be rolled out in other areas.
M-Gas head Volker Schultz added that the smart meters will send an alert to the company whenever a customer's gas runs out, allowing it to deliver another one at no extra cost.
