Abstract:
Worldwide, unplanned slums and informal settlements present systemic problems in the areas of; housing,
health, energy and education. Providing clean and efficient energy for households in informal settlements
especially in African cities remains a huge challenge. This challenge is compounded by a heavy reliance on
fossil fuels such as charcoal and kerosene which often result in unintended health consequences as a result of
prolonged exposure to air pollution. There exists many green technologies and systems with the goal to reduce
costs and reduce hazardous effect on the human health. Despite the changes in green energy technologies, their
adoption remains elusive. This paper examines the adoption of green energy practices in three informal
settlements namely: Munyaka, Kamukunji and Huruma in Eldoret town, Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. The
specific objectives are; examine green practices being adopted and determine factors influencing the adoption of
green energy practices. Based on mixed methods approach, data was obtained using data collection instruments
that included questionnaires, interview schedules, researcher‟s observation, document reviews and focus group
discussions (FGD). Stratified simple random and purposive sampling techniques were adopted to select the
samples. The findings of the study established that informal settlement dwellers have largely adopted green
energy practices for lighting although the adoption of solar energy is still low. Further, IS dwellers have not adopted green energy practices in cooking since majority still use charcoal and
firewood often considered as a non-green practice. In addition, adoption of green practices is hindered by
various factors which include; high initial cost, inaccessibility to green technologies, lack of personnel and lack
of policy framework. The study recommends that effective integration of green energy practices should involve
all stakeholders in adopting different energy solutions that already exist in the market. A policy framework
towards greening for home use is seen as a panacea to foster adoption of green energy
