When Osward Kakande watched his mother suffer from persistent coughs and headaches caused by smoke from traditional cooking stoves, he never imagined that her experience would inspire a business now valued at more than Shs450 million.
Today, the founder and director of Mubende Stoves is one of Uganda’s emerging clean energy entrepreneurs. His company is improving access to clean cooking technologies, creating jobs and helping households and businesses reduce fuel costs.
What began as a personal mission to protect his family from the harmful effects of indoor air pollution has grown into an enterprise supplying energy-efficient stoves across several districts in Uganda.
Like many entrepreneurs, Kakande started with very little.
In 2017, Mubende Stoves operated from a modest 20-by-50-foot plot under a simple wooden shelter. He borrowed Shs1.8 million from a friend, Keith, and used the money to produce his first batch of 28 stoves.
“There was no profit in the beginning,” Kakande recalls. “Every shilling went back into buying raw materials.”
The breakthrough came during the second production cycle. Producing 120 stoves earned him a profit of Shs3,000 on each stove, proving the business could become sustainable.
He continued to reinvest his earnings, improve product quality and expand production.
Today, Mubende Stoves operates from a three-acre production facility. The company manufactures portable household stoves, wood stoves and Productive Use stoves designed for businesses such as restaurants, schools and other commercial users.
Uganda still depends heavily on biomass fuels, with most households relying on charcoal and firewood for cooking. Mubende Stoves was established to address this challenge by producing energy-efficient stoves that use less fuel and produce less smoke.
The stoves are made from a mixture of clay, sawdust, burnt brick particles and mica enclosed in durable metal casings. This design helps retain heat for longer, reduces fuel consumption and lowers indoor air pollution.
For Kakande, the business has always been about more than selling stoves.
“It was about helping families live healthier lives while reducing their fuel costs,” he says.
For several years, Mubende Stoves operated as a community-based organisation, focusing mainly on educating communities about clean cooking technologies.
However, Kakande realised that the business needed a stronger legal and operational structure to grow.
He registered Mubende Stoves as a limited company, enabling it to meet regulatory requirements, strengthen compliance systems, secure reliable supply chains and compete for larger contracts.
The company’s first major breakthrough came in 2024 when it secured a contract through GIZ to supply 10,000 portable stoves and 5,000 wood stoves.
Successfully delivering the contract strengthened the company’s reputation and increased customer confidence.
Building on that success, Mubende Stoves was selected in 2025 to participate in a Results-Based Financing programme implemented by Equity Bank Uganda in partnership with EnDev GIZ.
Under the programme, the company supplied Productive Use stoves to businesses.
Unlike traditional financing models, Results-Based Financing rewards suppliers after independently verified results, encouraging high-quality products and greater adoption of clean technologies.
The incentives also allowed Mubende Stoves to sell the stoves at subsidised prices, making them more affordable for small businesses.
In Kasambya Town Council, restaurant owner Sandra Nakabugo says switching to a Mubende Stove has significantly reduced her operating costs.
“These stoves accommodate large saucepans, are hygienic and very cost-effective,” she says.
Before using the stove, she spent about Shs15,000 every day on charcoal and another Shs20,000 on firewood every four days.
Today, her fuel costs average about Shs4,000 a day.
“The savings have allowed me to expand my business and invest in poultry farming,” she says.
Josephine Mukakibibi, a dairy trader in Kasambya, says she has also benefited.
“The sack of charcoal that used to last one week now lasts nearly three weeks,” she says.
The savings have helped her pay school fees for her five children and build a family home.
As demand for the stoves has increased, so has the company’s workforce.
Mubende Stoves now employs 48 people, up from only three workers when it started.
Many of the jobs have gone to young people and single mothers, groups that often struggle to find stable employment.
“We want our growth to create opportunities for others,” Kakande says.
The company now serves customers in Mubende, Fort Portal, Hoima, Masindi and neighbouring districts.
Despite the company’s commercial success, Kakande remains committed to community development.
He founded Human Kind, a community-based organisation that supports people living with HIV, and has helped establish a dedicated kitchen facility to improve their welfare.
His business success has also enabled him to invest in transport, brick making and hospitality.
However, clean cooking remains his main priority.
As Mubende Stoves approaches its tenth year, Kakande plans to expand even further.
The company is exploring opportunities in the global carbon market and hopes to generate more than 40,000 carbon credits under the Gold Standard certification framework.
It also plans to invest in briquette production and modern manufacturing equipment to increase production capacity and meet growing demand.
Kakande says partnerships have played an important role in the company’s success.
“The support from partners such as Equity Bank Uganda and EnDev GIZ has been instrumental in our growth,” he says.
“We need more technical and financial support to help local companies scale up and reach more communities.”
From a borrowed Shs 1.8 million and a small wooden shelter to a company valued at more than Shs 450 million, Kakande’s journey shows how determination, innovation and strong partnerships can transform a simple idea into a business that improves public health, creates jobs and supports sustainable development.
