When Osward Kakande borrowed Shs1.8 million from a friend in 2017, he was not chasing wealth. He simply wanted to find a safer way for families like his own to cook.
Growing up, Kakande watched his mother suffer frequent coughs and headaches caused by smoke from traditional charcoal and firewood stoves. That experience inspired him to search for a cleaner, more efficient alternative, an idea that has since grown into Mubende Stoves, a company now valued at more than Shs450 million.
Today, the company is helping households and businesses reduce fuel costs, improving public health through cleaner cooking technologies and creating dozens of jobs across Uganda.
A humble beginning
Mubende Stoves started on a small 20-by-50-foot plot under a simple wooden shelter in Mubende District. With borrowed capital and limited resources, Kakande produced his first 28 energy-saving stoves.
The business generated little income at first, with every shilling earned reinvested in raw materials.
“It was difficult in the beginning because we had to put everything back into the business,” Kakande recalls.
The turning point came during the second production cycle, when the company manufactured 120 stoves and made a profit of Shs3,000 on each unit. That convinced him the business had the potential to grow.
Solving a household challenge
Uganda remains heavily dependent on charcoal and firewood for cooking, exposing millions of households to indoor air pollution while increasing pressure on forests.
Kakande saw an opportunity to tackle both problems by manufacturing stoves that use less fuel and produce far less smoke than traditional cooking methods.
The stoves are made from locally available materials including clay, sawdust, burnt brick particles and mica, all enclosed in durable metal casings. Their design retains heat for longer, allowing users to cook with less charcoal or firewood while reducing smoke emissions.
“Our mission has never been just to manufacture stoves,” Kakande says. “We want families to spend less on fuel while protecting their health.”
From community project to thriving company
For several years, the initiative operated as a Community-Based Organisation, promoting awareness about clean cooking technologies.
As demand increased, Kakande realised the enterprise needed to become a fully registered company to compete for larger opportunities.
The transition to Mubende Stoves Limited opened doors to bigger contracts, strengthened its operational systems and enabled the company to expand its customer base.
Growth through partnerships
A major breakthrough came in 2024 when the company secured a contract through GIZ to manufacture and supply 10,000 portable stoves and 5,000 wood stoves.
Successfully delivering the order significantly boosted Mubende Stoves’ credibility.
The following year, the company joined a Results-Based Financing (RBF) programme implemented by Equity Bank Uganda in partnership with EnDev GIZ.
Under the programme, Mubende Stoves supplied Productive Use stoves to businesses, with financial incentives linked to verified adoption of clean cooking technologies rather than upfront funding.
The support enabled the company to offer subsidised prices, making the stoves more affordable for small enterprises.
Businesses saving thousands
The impact has been felt by many small business owners.
Sandra Nakabugo, who operates a restaurant in Kasambya Town Council, says her daily fuel bill has dropped dramatically since switching to Mubende Stoves.
She previously spent around Shs15,000 every day on charcoal and another Shs20,000 every four days on firewood. Today, she spends about Shs4,000 daily on fuel.
“The savings have allowed me to grow my restaurant and invest in poultry farming,” she says.
Another customer, dairy trader Josephine Mukakibibi, says a sack of charcoal that previously lasted one week now lasts nearly three weeks.
The reduced fuel costs have helped her educate her five children and build a family home.
Creating employment
Business growth has also translated into more jobs.
From employing only three people in its early years, Mubende Stoves now has a workforce of 48 employees, many of them young people and single mothers seeking stable sources of income.
Kakande says creating employment has become one of the company’s biggest achievements alongside manufacturing clean cooking technologies.
Looking beyond stoves
Despite the company’s rapid growth, Kakande continues to invest in community development.
He established Human Kind, a community-based organisation that supports people living with HIV and has helped establish a dedicated kitchen facility to improve their welfare.
His business interests have also expanded into transport, brick making and hospitality, although clean cooking remains the company’s core business.
The next chapter
As Mubende Stoves approaches its tenth anniversary, the company is preparing for another phase of expansion.
Plans are underway to enter the global carbon credit market through Gold Standard certification, with a target of generating more than 40,000 carbon credits.
The company also intends to invest in briquette production and modern manufacturing equipment to increase output and meet growing demand.
Kakande says continued collaboration with development partners such as Equity Bank Uganda and EnDev GIZ will be critical in helping local manufacturers scale their businesses.
