Rising gas prices see Kenyans heading to the forest for charcoal
Cape Town - Kenyans are heading into the forest in search of charcoal as high fuel prices continue to choke the country amid a global economic crisis.
AP reported that locals neighbouring government forests are illegally logging and kilning protected forests to earn an income. Consumers in rural homes, towns and cities, meanwhile, are looking for alternative fuel to cushion the high price of cooking gas, wrote Africanews.com.
A litre of gasoline retails at 150.12 shillings (R25) in the capital, Nairobi, while diesel prices increased 4.4% to 131 shillings per litre in the latest round of commodity increases in Kenya.
In May, Kenya’s Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority announced increases to the East African country’s fuel and diesel prices as millions of Kenyans battle to make ends meet.
The annual inflation rate in Kenya accelerated to 7.1% in May from 6.5% the previous month amid global and continental challenges.
In sub-Saharan Africa, indigenous trees, such as the acacia, provide high-quality charcoal which fetches a good price at the market.
According to environmental researchers, there are about 170 species of acacias native to Africa.
The first Europeans to travel to Africa also called it the “fever tree” because they wrongly believed that it caused malaria.
The tree often grows in swampy areas or near water, which is a breeding ground for fever-carrying mosquitoes.
The Europeans subsequently introduced another tree, the blue gum, to drain the swamps. They called it the anti-fever tree.
The resilient acacia can grow almost anywhere with minimal care.
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