Lira City, Energy Ministry partner to promote biogas use in schools

14 July 2025, 6:54 pm

By Denish Ongora

Lira City Council has partnered with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development to promote the adoption of biogas technology in schools as a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to firewood.

Lira City Environment Officer, Otika Leonard, revealed that four schools have already expressed interest in adopting biogas as a cooking fuel under the initiative.

He noted that the pilot phase will begin with schools that rear cattle, as cow dung is a key raw material for biogas production.

A Voice of Lango FM investigation has revealed that Lira Police Primary School, which has a population of around 1,500 pupils, spends approximately UGX 5 million per term on firewood.

The school’s Director of Studies, Tom Richard Okello, stated that the school sources firewood from as far as Masindi District due to widespread deforestation in the Lango sub-region.

Okello appealed to the government to intervene and support schools with more affordable and sustainable cooking energy alternatives.

Currently, nearly all schools in Lira City rely on firewood for cooking, highlighting the urgent need for cleaner and more sustainable energy solutions to safeguard the environment.