COVID-19 Lockdown in a Kenyan Informal Settlement: Impacts on Household Energy and Food Security

medRxiv

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Abstract: COVID-19 lockdown may impact household fuel use and food security for ~700 million subSaharan Africans who rely on polluting fuels (e.g. wood,kerosene) for household energy and typically work in the informal economy. In an informal settlement in Nairobi,surveys administered before (n=474) and after (n=194) a mandatory COVID-19-related community lockdown documented socioeconomic/household energy impacts. During lockdown,95% of participants indicated income decline or cessation and 88% reported being food insecure. Three quarters of participants cooked less frequently and half altered their diet. One quarter (27%) of households primarily using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for cooking before lockdown switched to kerosene (14%) or wood (13%). These results indicate the livelihoods of urban Kenyan families were deleteriously affected by COVID-19 lockdown,with a likely rise in household air pollution from community-level increases in polluting fuel use. To safeguard public health,policies should prioritize enhancing clean fuel and food access among the urban poor.