Yesterday Ben Longisa, who is on the committee of the Mara Triangle Maasai Villages Association, took Saruni and I up to Enkereri Village to look at the bio-gas project that has recently been installed. 

Ben next to the 'outtage'.

The project is brilliantly simple:

At one end, each day, you put in two wheelbarrow's full of cow dung, along with 80 litres of water, and give it a mix. 

In here, and stir.

At the risk of sounding too scientific, the slop then passes underground to this big round thing which gurgles and burps, and gives off a gas. 

Saruni and Ben next to the big round thing.

The gas is then piped off into the houses and connected to a gas stove.

Ben lighting the stove.

At first the ladies of the village were slightly terrified that the gas would blow them all up. But now that they are getting used to it they seem to like it very much. 

Interesting facts to know:

Cost of Small bio-gas project like one above: 4 - 500,000 KES (approx. US $6,000)

Cost of Large bio-gas project: 6 - 700,000 KES

Project above currently provides enough gas for 10 stoves.

Friends of Conservation were able to support three quarters of the project, but the other quarter came from the village themselves. They were able to initiate and help pay for this project thanks to all of the tourists who visited their manyatta and paid a full entrance fee by going through the Mara Triangle Maasai Villages Association. Pretty incredible.

The project dramatically reduces the human wildlife conflict for the village as the women with stoves no longer have to go out into the bush to look for firewood, and it also means that the trees will get a chance to grow back. 

The area around Enkereri.

The other great thing is that the used up dung that comes out the other side can be squashed into briquettes which can then be sold  to camps and lodges as an alternative to firewood. And of course I must not forget the title of this post, Electric Dung, as eventually when the project is able to develop, it will also be possible to generate electricity from the dung and finally bring light into people's homes.

So if you're visiting the Mara Triangle make sure you take a trip to visit the villages. Even if you've already been before, now you know that each time you go you are helping support good conservation in the area.