The Government of Uganda is set to give out Liquidified Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders commonly known as Gas cylinders to atleast one million of its citizens as a way of saving the environment.
Hon Ruth Nankabirwa, The minister of Energy and Mineral Development, while officiating the launch of the distribution exercise at Buggu zone in Busabala Parish, Makindye Ssabagabo constituency, said that this move would help on reducing of the use of biomass such as charcoal and firewood.
“The National Development Plan (NDPIII) emphasizes the need for increased
uptake of LPG, commonly referred to as “cooking gas”, at the household
level as part of the Government’s efforts to improve the quality of life” she said.
As many Ugandans use charcoal or firewood in thier day to day cooking, Hon, Ruth belives that this move will create awareness and divert people from the use of biomass to using the friendly PLG and also save millions of trees from being cut down and used for cooking.
The Ministry is expected to give out 1 million LPG Starter Kits to Ugandans for free
– comprising locally manufactured 13kg cylinders with accessories and a
cook stove.
“We know that the upfront payment for the Starter Kit has been
a bottleneck for many families to convert from using biomass to LPG, yet it
is clean, saves time and is relatively healthier”. the Minister said adding that the Government introduced tax reforms in the 2020/2021 financial year that exempted LPG from the Value Added Tax (VAT) to make LPG affordable.
Almost 92% of Ugandans use biomass fuel for cooking atleast once a week while few depend on electricity and other forms of enviromentally friendly means to cook.
