MUBENDE – What began as a son’s determination to protect his mother from the harmful effects of smoke-filled kitchens has grown into one of Uganda’s inspiring clean energy success stories.
Armed with a borrowed Shs1.8 million and a vision to promote safer cooking, entrepreneur Osward Kakande has built Mubende Stoves, a company now valued at more than Shs450 million, employing dozens of Ugandans while helping thousands of households and businesses cut fuel costs and reduce indoor air pollution.
Kakande says his journey into clean cooking was inspired by watching his mother endure persistent coughs and headaches caused by smoke from traditional charcoal and firewood stoves. Rather than accept the problem as inevitable, he set out to develop a cleaner and more efficient alternative.
The business started in 2017 on a modest 20-by-50-foot plot under a simple wooden shelter. With Shs1.8 million borrowed from a friend, Kakande produced his first batch of just 28 energy-efficient stoves.
“There was no profit at first,” he recalls. “Every shilling we earned was reinvested into buying raw materials.”
The breakthrough came during the second production cycle, when manufacturing 120 stoves generated a modest profit of Shs3,000 per stove—proof that the business model could work.
Over the years, consistent reinvestment, innovation and an unwavering focus on quality transformed the small venture into a thriving enterprise. Today, Mubende Stoves operates from a three-acre manufacturing facility producing a range of energy-efficient products, including household cooking stoves, wood stoves and larger Productive Use (PU) stoves designed for commercial users.
With millions of Ugandan households still relying on charcoal and firewood for cooking, the demand for affordable, fuel-efficient technologies continues to grow. Mubende Stoves manufactures its products using clay, sawdust, burnt brick particles and mica enclosed in durable metal casings. The design retains heat longer, significantly reduces fuel consumption and produces far less smoke than conventional stoves.
For Kakande, however, the business has always been about more than selling products.
“It has always been about helping families live healthier lives while reducing their cooking costs,” he says.
For several years, the initiative operated as a Community-Based Organisation, raising awareness about clean cooking technologies. Recognising the need for sustainable growth, Kakande later registered Mubende Stoves as a limited company, enabling it to meet regulatory standards, improve operational systems and compete for larger contracts.
The decision proved transformative.
In 2024, the company secured its first major contract through GIZ, supplying 10,000 portable stoves and 5,000 wood stoves. The successful delivery elevated the company’s profile and opened doors to new opportunities.
The following year, Mubende Stoves was selected to participate in a Results-Based Financing (RBF) programme implemented by Equity Bank Uganda in partnership with EnDev GIZ. The programme supports suppliers based on verified results, allowing the company to offer subsidised clean cooking solutions to small businesses while expanding access to energy-efficient technology.
The impact has been felt by entrepreneurs across central Uganda.
Restaurant owner Sandra Nakabugo from Kasambya Town Council says adopting Mubende Stoves’ eco-stove dramatically reduced her fuel expenses. She previously spent around Shs15,000 daily on charcoal and an additional Shs20,000 on firewood every four days. Today, her daily fuel bill averages just Shs4,000.
“The savings have enabled me to expand my restaurant and invest in poultry farming,” she says.
Another beneficiary, dairy trader Josephine Mukakibibi, says the same amount of charcoal that previously lasted one week now lasts nearly three weeks. The reduced household expenses have enabled her to educate her five children and construct a family home.
As demand for its products has increased, Mubende Stoves has expanded its workforce from just three employees during its early days to 48 staff members today. Many of the employment opportunities have been created for young people and single mothers, groups that often struggle to access stable income.
“We want our growth to create opportunities for others,” Kakande says.
The company now supplies clean cooking solutions across Mubende, Hoima, Masindi, Fort Portal and neighbouring districts.
Despite the company’s commercial success, Kakande remains committed to community service. He founded Human Kind, a community-based organisation supporting people living with HIV, including establishing a dedicated kitchen facility to improve their welfare.
He has also diversified into transportation, brick manufacturing and hospitality, although clean cooking remains the cornerstone of his business.
Looking ahead, Mubende Stoves plans to enter the global carbon market, targeting the generation of more than 40,000 carbon credits under the Gold Standard certification framework. The company is also preparing to invest in briquette production and modern manufacturing equipment to increase production capacity and meet growing demand.
Kakande credits much of the company’s growth to partnerships with organisations such as Equity Bank Uganda and EnDev GIZ.
“We need continued technical and financial support to help local companies scale and reach more communities,” he says.
From a borrowed Shs1.8 million and a makeshift wooden shelter to a Shs450 million enterprise, Kakande’s journey demonstrates how innovation, determination and strategic partnerships can build businesses that not only create wealth but also improve public health, generate employment and contribute to Uganda’s clean energy transition.
