90% of households use firewood, charcoal for cooking

Almost every household in the country either uses charcoal or firewood for cooking, the 2016/2017 Uganda National Household Survey has noted, revealing that the dependency on firewood as a source of energy is straining the environment.

According to Vincent Fred Ssennono, a lead researcher at the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), a large portion of households using wood fuel for cooking, is in northern, Karamoja, West Nile and Kigezi sub regions.


"Over 90% of the households use wood fuel for cooking," Ssennono said, urging the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) to devise interventions that might save the depletion of forests in the country.

The National Household Survey, which was released today at the office of the UBOS, also indicates that access to clean water and electricity has improved. Clean water coverage is at 80%, while access to electricity is at 21%.


The main source of light in rural areas is a kerosene lamp. The literacy rate has also increased from 70% to 74%.

The survey has put the country's population at 37.7%.