BURN Secures $5M to Scale Electric Cooking in Kenya

Kenya’s clean energy push has received a significant boost, as African cookstove manufacturer BURN secures USD 5 million from the Electrification Financing Initiative (ElectriFI), backed by the European Union and managed by EDFI Management Company.

The funding will accelerate the deployment of BURN’s ECOA Induction Cooker (ECOA IDC), aiming to bring clean electric cooking to over 100,000 households across the country.

Rodrigo Madrazo, CEO of EDFI Management Company, stated: "Access to clean and affordable cooking solutions is essential for sustainable development. Through ElectriFI, we are proud to support BURN’s pioneering work that not only improves household health and reduces environmental degradation but also strengthens local economies by creating manufacturing and distribution jobs."

This initiative is expected to ease household fuel costs and prevent roughly 1.4 million tons of CO₂ emissions over the cooker’s lifespan, marking a major step toward sustainable living.

Although more than 90% of Kenya’s electricity grid is powered by renewable energy, millions still depend on charcoal, firewood, and LPG due to the steep cost of electric cooking appliances. BURN tackles this challenge through its Pay As You Cook (PAYC) model, which connects to mobile money platforms and the ECOA mobile app. It enables customers to pay gradually and own the cooker outright within a year.

According to BURN, this model can slash household fuel spending by 40% to 60% while generating carbon credits, creating both economic savings and environmental value for users. To date, BURN has distributed over 5 million clean cookstoves.

Peter Scott, Founder and CEO of BURN, said: “Kenya’s electricity grid is over 90% renewable—yet more than 15 million households still cook with polluting fuels. This investment helps close that gap. We’re proving that electric cooking—designed and built in Africa—can be the future of clean, affordable energy access at scale.”