For years, Jian Namuhenge spent about Shs80,000 every month on charcoal. Like millions of Ugandans, she cooked on a traditional charcoal stove and thought that was the only option.
That changed with one switch. Today, the same sack of charcoal lasts her nearly three months. “I used to buy a sack of charcoal at about Shs 80,000, and it would last only one month,” Namuhenge says. “But with the eco-stove, the same sack can last up to three months.”
The money she saves now goes to other family needs. She also finds the stove easier to use. “It’s easy to light and has a fan that keeps the fire burning. It feels almost like cooking on gas because I can control the heat.”
Namuhenge is one of thousands of Ugandans turning to clean cooking through Detra Energy and Environmental Contractors Limited. The company started in 2022 with a simple goal: give people practical, affordable solutions that improve daily life and protect the environment. It works in renewable energy, waste management, water and sanitation, and eco-friendly construction. But its clean cooking stoves have made the biggest impact.
Uganda still depends heavily on charcoal and firewood. That drives deforestation and fills homes with smoke that harms health. Detra introduced stoves and cookers that use much less fuel and are safer. Its products include the Digiwave Electric Pressure Cooker and charcoal-saving stoves like Biolite Jiko Safi, Biolite Jiko Malkia, and the Ecoa Char series.
Cost was the main barrier. Most efficient stoves sold for about Shs140,000, which many families could not afford. In 2024 that changed. Detra partnered with Equity Bank Uganda and EnDev GIZ through a Results-Based Financing programme.
The programme subsidised prices so households in refugee and host communities could buy stoves for Shs70,000, while other Ugandans paid as little as Shs60,000.
“Many Ugandans want solar systems, clean cook stoves, and renewable energy solutions, but the initial costs remain too high,” says Virginia Semakula, Equity Bank’s Energy, Environment and Climate Change Pillar Head.
“As Equity Bank, we are enabling communities to access these technologies through results-based financing.”David Ucha, Director of Detra Energy, says the partnership helped the company reach people who were priced out before. “It has helped us penetrate the market, build credibility, and position ourselves for future growth.”
The benefits go beyond saving money. The stoves burn less charcoal, produce less smoke, and contain ash better. That means cleaner kitchens, healthier families, and lower fuel bills. Cutting charcoal use by nearly two-thirds frees up money for school fees, medical care, or small businesses. Across Uganda, wider use of such stoves would also reduce pressure on forests lost to charcoal production.
Detra is now moving into institutional cooking too. Its new Jiko-Kul is a high-capacity pressure cooker for schools and hospitals. It uses oil-based heat retention with electric coils so food keeps cooking even after power goes off. That solves a common problem in Uganda: unreliable electricity. It also cuts cooking time and energy costs.
Though still a young company, Detra is quickly becoming a key player in Uganda’s clean energy shift. Its story shows how smart partnerships, financing, and products built for local realities can make clean energy accessible. For families, it means lower bills and better cooking. For Detra, it means room to grow. For Uganda, it’s a step toward better energy access, healthier forests, and stronger climate resilience.
For thousands of households, the change is already happening. One stove at a time.
