Mukono Boarding Saves Money, Nature From Biogas out of Faecal Matter

By Kyaggwe TV

The transition from the use of 100% firewood for preparing food for the pupils to biogas is one of the wise decisions the headteacher for Mukono Boarding Primary School, Susan Wamala Sserunkuuma has ever done. Wamala says that move has helped the school save millions of money which she used to spend every term in buying firewood.

“In 2016 when were fully based the school’s cooking on firewood as we prepared food for 1200 pupils, the school required over seven trucks of firewood in a term. A truck of firewood then could cost over sh700,000. But, as of now, a truck costs over sh1,000,000,” she said.

At least most of the schools in Uganda depend on biomass energy (firewood) for cooking, which is one of the biggest drivers of Uganda’s high deforestation rate, which is believed to be one of the highest in the World.

George Masengere, the Mukono Municipality Principal Environment Officer says that reports from the National Forestry Authority, (NFA) shows that Uganda, a country which is referred to as the Pearl of Africa lost half of its forest cover in the recent three decades. Masengere says that the forest cover was 24% in 1990 and declined to only 12% in 2021.

“Though using firewood is so expensive with a lot of challenges including affecting the lives of the people who work in the school kitchen, affecting the environment, among other problems, most school proprietors think it’s the only available and affordable source of energy around,” Masengere said.

For Mukono Boarding, it’s working towards total elimination of firewood at the school campus. Mukono Boarding is a Church of Uganda government aided, and a Universal Primary Education (UPE) school located at Kitete Cell in Mukono Central Division, Mukono Municipality.

Wamala, the headteacher says the journey started in 2017 when they received donors, Gorm and Karin of the Global Youth from Denmark who did not like the environment in which the children’s food was being prepared.

She reports: “The donors facilitated the building of energy saving stoves that caused the reduction in the number of trucks of firewood needed per term from seven to five. By then, a truck was at sh700,000. I therefore saved sh1.4m in a term and sh4.2m for the whole year.”

“By doing that, we responded to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 which is about ensuring access to clean and affordable energy, a key to the development of agriculture, business, communications, education, healthcare and transportation,” the headteacher said.

Wamala says as they were still praising the energy saving stoves, the donors again funded the construction of the bio-latrine which gives out biogas for preparing the pupils’ dishes.

“At least, we continued to reduce the use of firewood which puts pressure to the cutting of trees/forests. By doing that, we have addressed the SDG 13 which aims at “taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts,” she boosts.

Rev. Joyce Kyambadde, the school chaplain who heads the biogas project says that unlike the normal biogas projects which are generated out of animal waste, the one constructed for them uses human excreta.

Kyambadde who introduced herself as an advocate of environment conservation said they had never thought of the idea that the children’s waste can be turned into a very useful thing which can be used to generate biogas for preparing their food.

She says the technological bio-latrine was built by the engineers of Joint Energy and Environment Projects (JEEP).

Ruth Nambogga, the JEEP Chief Executive Officer says that though in Uganda biomass accounts for over 93% of the entire energy used, they are intended to combat environmental destruction and conserve natural resources through the use of smart cooking stoves and now bio-latrines.

Nambogga said that the biogas from toilet is so cost effective because it’s a one payoff  at a cost of sh11m though the construction of a toilet also costs over sh30m depending on its size and the stances.

“Children act as the main suppliers of the raw materials which are in this case their wastes. The bigger the number that uses the latrine, the more biogas is generated,” she said.

Zeus Misagga, an expert from JEEP who led the team that constructed the biogas system said that a bio-latrine is an environmentally friendly toilet that is connected to a biogas digester that converts human excrement into a quality fertilizer that is safe to handle and can be used for agriculture.

“In the same process, combustible gas (biogas) is also produced and can be used for cooking, heating and lighting. This complete system addresses energy, sanitation, environment and agricultural production in a single cycle,” Misagga explained.

Wamala said that they are currently required to buy only one truck of firewood in a term following the introduction of the biogas.

“The only needed firewood is for preparing posho which cannot be easily prepared on the biogas stoves. They have limited burners which cannot accommodate the big saucepans we use for posho,” she said.

The headteacher said they use the biogas stoves for preparing tea, porridge, spices and a few other dishes.

“Besides saving costs, we are the leading people to protect the environment. For decades, schools have been taking a lead in destroying the environment, so, let’s also do the same in restoring it and saving it,” she said.

The Mukono Municipality Principal Education Officer, Faridah Nassolo said that such innovations will help to save forests and the environment at large as schools instead of looking for forests to cut for firewood they instead invest in construction of bio-latrines.

Nassolo says though she would like the technology to go around all the 32 government aided schools in Mukono Municipality, the government currently has got no money for it.

Becky Atukunda, a who sat for PLE at Mukono Boarding in 2020 said the biogas helps to save the environment in a number of ways including the reduction of trees cut for charcoal and firewood.

Atukunda said that because the pupils in the school environment are many, the wastes they produce on a daily basis are also more than enough to sustain the biogas formation yet at relatively no cost.

Fransisca Nagginda of Primary Six said that they not only get biogas but they also get manure from the process, which manure is put on the plants and they get better yields.

Praise Nassanga, also of Primary Six said unlike individual homes which may not have the money to construct such expensive technologies, its better schools which use a lot of firewood to take the lead.

“Let the government or the Ministry of Education start constructing bio-toilets at least in government schools. Private schools will also start from there, after a period of time, the impact will be felt,” she said.

Martin Ssemakula, a media consultant said the biogas toilet at Mukono Boarding is a very big step in saving the forests.

Ssemakula added that following the high rate of forest destruction yet forests are habitats for wild animals, it has led to the extinction of some animal species, something which is affecting the country’s tourism sector, one of the leading revenue sources for Uganda.

In order to increase on the biogas collected which will give the school guarantee to acquire and use bigger stoves that will be in position to handle the pots for posho and beans, Wamala plans to build another bio-toilet for the boys.

She says that previously, in times of scarcity for firewood, they could cut some of the trees in the school compound more especially as they got closer to the end of the term when there would be no cash floor despite the demand for some of the services including firewood.

“But we have maximized not only trees on our school compound but also fruit trees. My pupils and teachers therefore supplement their diet with mangoes and avocados,” she narrated.

The Municipal environment officer George Masengere said Mukono Boarding’s bio-toilet exited him and other officials at the municipality as it tried to cub down the drivers of climate change.

“Schools have a very huge carbon footprint through the too much use of firewood they use on a daily basis. And they do a great role in educating the young ones, they prepare the next generation to be responsible, if they start getting away from the firewood use to biogas, that is a very good initiative and its welcome,” he said.

Masengere says that in this new technic of bio-latrines, the idea of digging pit latrines, used and abandoned for new ones is going to phase out.

“As the faecal matter keeps on converted into biogas and the rest of the materials used as fertilizers, a latrine will not be used up. Abandoned pit latrines after them getting used up not only contribute to land wastage but also contributes to greenhouse gasses that also contribute to climate change,” he explained.

Also to reduce on the energy, be it biogas or firewood to be used to prepare the drinking water for the children, James Mombwe, a teacher says they acquired technology which helps to prepare drinking water for the children.

Mombwe says they use chemicals like the sodium chloride and sodium hydroxide that are put in the water purifier with the use of a car battery to prepare water for drinking.

The technology ensures that the two tanks which have been enclosed in a shade have clean drinking water all the time.

Wamala said that by ensuring clean drinking water which is available all the time for the learners and teachers, they are also addressing the SDG 6 which seeks to ensure safe drinking water and sanitation for all, focusing on the sustainable management of water resources, wastewater and ecosystems, an enabling environment.

Teacher Susan Ssematimba, the patron of the environment club said that they have put much emphasis on not only maintaining the trees around on the school compound but they are also planting new ones.

Ssematimba reports that they have taught the children the advantages of planting trees highlighting the cardinal role of mitigating the negative impacts of the climate change effects.

“We centre on the SDG 15 which aims at protecting, restoring and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt, reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss,” she said.

Elvis Lubega, a pupil under the environment club said they learnt that saving does not only mean saving money but also saving the environment through protecting trees or forests and planting trees.

Lubega says as a club, they have put the emphasis on planting fruit trees and that they have young ones which are just growing though they are also protecting the ones which were planted long ago.

“We were given an assignment to plant trees at home during the holidays, I happily testify that i planted a number of them and they are growing well,” he said.

Unlike other schools which just collect garbage and dump it anyhow, at Mukono Boarding, it is sorted where plastics and plythen bags have their space, papers and the other decomposing materials too are dumped in different prepared places.

Teacher Ssematimba, the one in charge of environment said by sorting the garbage, they save the unnecessary dumping of dangerous materials to the environment like the plastics and polythen which spoil the soil.