Kyuka Ventures Innovation Hub is a trailblazing startup operating at the intersection of reliable energy provision and sustainable clean energy for off-grid communities in Uganda. Our mission is leading the global transition to a socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable greener economy. By repurposing and recycling plastic waste, Kyuka has generated a new fuel source that’s suitable, scalable, and fully adaptable for low-income households in marginalized communities. Our commitment lies in transforming challenges into opportunities, where innovation meets tradition, and where localized solutions contribute significantly to global climate goals.
Kyuka Ventures solves the problem of plastic pollution by transforming plastic waste into clean cooking fuel ( LPG), while providing health insurance and waste management solutions for the poor slum dwellers in Kampala. Kyuka Ventures sources its scrap plastic from marginalized youths and her 150 women plastic collectors that sell it to the company in kilos ( 1kg for 500 Uganda shillings). Kyuka Ventures uses a patent pending soot free and energy conserving technology called “soot free reactive extraction Technology” (SFRET) to convert plastic waste into hydrocarbon based fuel that can replace fossil fuels, charcoal and firewood. Kyuka Ventures distributes the gas in cylinders and stoves to the customers, who use a pay-as-you-cook model that makes the gas affordable,($1.3/L) and our plastic extrusion technology, Soot free reactive extraction technology (SFRET), transforms 8-10 tonnes of plastic waste monthly into durable plastic fuel. Kyuka Ventures also offers a micro health insurance program called “waste Insure” that allows the community to pay for health cover, drugs and other clinical services by using plastic waste as payment. Kyuka Ventures generates revenue from the sale of gas as well as from the fees collected from the insurance scheme. Kyuka Ventures aims to reduce child mortality by 35%, improve maternal health reducing by 65% deaths in women caused by home-based deliveries due to postpartum bleeding, save forests by 65%, mitigate climate change by 85% and create 1000 green jobs ( by 2028) by incentivizing the collection and recycling of plastic waste. Kyuka Ventures is a pioneer in using plastic waste as a financial and environmental resource for the benefit of the society.
Kyuka Ventures is solving the problem of plastic waste and energy poverty in Uganda. Uganda faces serious challenges of plastic waste and energy poverty, which affect the environment and human health. Uganda generates 600 tonnes of plastic waste daily, but only 40 per cent is recycled, causing pollution, degradation, and diseases (NEMA, 2018). Plastic waste also emits greenhouse gases, threatening marine life and climate change. By 2050, there could be more plastics than fish in the ocean (UNEP, 2017). Uganda also lacks clean and affordable energy, especially in rural areas, where 90 per cent of households use firewood or charcoal for cooking. These fuels cause indoor air pollution, deforestation, and soil erosion, leading to respiratory diseases, biodiversity loss, and land degradation (UBOS, 2019; The Atlantic, 2021). Uganda loses between 380,000 to 500,000 hectares of forests every year due to charcoal and firewood demand (DW, 2018). About 30 per cent of Ugandans were poor in 2019/20, and many of them are vulnerable to shocks such as floods, droughts, and pandemics (World Bank, 2021).Therefore, there is an urgent need to find sustainable solutions for plastic waste management and energy provision in Uganda.
