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 affordable alternative to firewood.

Lira City Environment Officer, Otika Leonard, has 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 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, said the school sources firewood all the way from Masindi District, due to widespread deforestation in the Lango sub-region.

Okello appealed to the government to step in and support schools with cheaper and more sustainable cooking energy options.

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