If You Don’t Pay, You Don’t Get One”: Kayonza Residents Say Corruption Decides Who Gets Eco-Friendly Stoves
In Mukarange, a farming sector tucked into the rolling hills of Rwanda’s Eastern Province, mornings begin the same way with the rhythmic crackle of twigs and the heavy scent of smoke.
Women set out before sunrise, balancing bundles of firewood on their heads, walking home through the dusty paths that border Akagera National Park.
For generations, the park has been the lifeline and the casualty of rural households that depend on firewood. Trees fall, soil erodes, and drought deepens. But in 2020, hope arrived in the form of a climate initiative: the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) launched a project to help communities shift from traditional wood fires to eco-friendly cooking stoves that use less wood and release fewer emissions.
At first, the plan promised a small revolution one stove per home, a cleaner kitchen for every family. But soon, something went wrong.
Promises and Disappointments
In Mukarange, some households received the stoves. Others didn’t.
“The cooking stoves were supposed to go to every family,” said one woman who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal. “But the local leaders distributed them randomly. I’m one of the vulnerable families in Kayonza who didn’t receive a stove.”
Her neighbor, who did get one, said it changed her life.
“Before, I used 10 pieces of firewood a week. Now, I only need four,” she said proudly. “I save money I can finally spend time on other things that earn income for my family.”
Both women recall a community meeting in 2021 when IUCN officials announced that every household would receive a stove to reduce indoor gas emissions and combat climate change, particularly the severe drought that plagues Rwanda’s east.
“But after that,” said the first woman, “everything went silent. We were told IUCN gave money to the district. We don’t know where it went to the entrepreneur, the officials, or someone else.”
Pay to be on the List
In Nyagihanga Sector, distribution happened three times between 2020 and 2024. Yet, some families never saw a single stove.
“I couldn’t afford the two thousand Rwandan francs the village chief demanded just to be put on the list,” said one resident, lowering his voice. “If I speak too much, I’ll be arrested.”
These stories echo across Kayonza whispers of favoritism, frustration, and corruption.
Toussaint Matsiko, Executive Secretary of Nyagihanga Sector, admits some local leaders have failed their communities.
“Village chiefs who take money for the stoves will be dismissed,” he said. “We’re investigating these claims, and anyone found guilty will face punishment.”
Matsiko emphasized that the stoves were meant not just to improve livelihoods but also to protect nature: reducing deforestation and poaching, especially for people living near Akagera National Park, on Rwanda’s northeastern border with Tanzania.
A Broader Environmental Mission
Across Sub-Saharan Africa, about 80% of households nearly one billion people still rely on smoky fuels like firewood, kerosene, and charcoal, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). These fuels accelerate climate change and threaten women’s health through constant smoke inhalation.
Governments worldwide are urging citizens to adopt low-emission stoves that cut carbon dioxide output and preserve forests.
Jean Claude Habimana, IUCN’s communications and membership officer in Rwanda, confirmed that the organization distributed cooking stoves through the AREECA Project, which focuses on restoring degraded forests in Kirehe and Nyagatare districts.
“The goal is to reduce dependence on firewood and protect our forests,” Habimana said. “These stoves are efficient, easy to maintain, and environmentally friendly. Unlike gas or electric stoves, which are costly and hard to access in rural areas, these models use local, renewable resources like wood.”
However, when asked about the corruption allegations, IUCN did not respond to questions submitted in February 2025. The organization’s Anti-Fraud and Anti-Corruption Policy explicitly forbids misuse of funds but residents say they are still waiting for accountability.
Stoves that changed lives
For Christine Uwamurera, a mother of two from the Mwiri sector, the stove was a lifeline.
“Every day I used to worry about where to find wood and money to buy it,” she said. “We live close to Akagera National Park sometimes people cut trees or even kill animals to sell or eat.”
Now, with her modern stove, she’s saving money. “I used the savings to buy goats and grow vegetables,” she said, her face lighting up.
Uwamurera didn’t pay for her stove, but she knows others who did. “Some people had to give money,” she admitted softly.
In Kayonza, the story of eco-friendly stoves reveals more than just a fight against smoke and carbon it is a struggle for equity, transparency, and trust.
The vision was noble: clean energy for all, greener forests, and a healthier planet. However, for many, that vision has been clouded by corruption and lost promises.
As one resident put it, staring at the old three-stone fire still burning in her kitchen: “They told us this was for everyone but here, even clean air has a price.”
BY IHIRWE J.Christian