Kenyan driver cuts fuel by 20% by adopting fuel-efficient driving

04 / 09 / 2024

By Marwa Nassar - -

Kenyan truck driver Salim Awadh managed to use about 20 percent less fuel than he once did by adopting fuel-efficient driving.

This has helped Awadh to save money and cut down on the tailpipe emissions spewing from his 22-wheeled truck.

“Our driving skills are continuously improving, which boosts our income,” said Awadh.

Awadh attended a driving workshop which was part of a larger effort, backed by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the UNEP-supported Climate and Clean Air Coalition to improve fuel efficiency along the Northern Corridor, one of Africa’s busiest transport routes.

In Mombasa, an instructor showed Awadh how to save fuel by keeping a steady speed, using the highest gear possible and shunning unnecessary acceleration.

Observers say those reductions are crucial for cutting air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions – and eventually paving the way for zero-emission electric transport.

“By transforming the Northern Corridor, we can show that transport in Africa doesn’t have to come at the cost of the environment and human health,” said Sheila Aggarwal-Khan, Director of UNEP’s Industry and Economy Division.

“But even more than that, this work can serve as a stepping stone to a future of clean mobility, a transition the world must make to head off the mounting crises of climate change and pollution.”

The Northern Corridor is a collection of roads, railways, pipelines and inland waterways linking the largely landlocked countries of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the Kenyan port of Mombasa. Road freight accounts for the vast majority of traffic. About 2,000-3,000 trucks ply the route daily, carrying everything from food to appliances.

Tailpipe emissions also sicken people who live along the corridor, which passes through hundreds of villages and cities on its meandering route from Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of Congo to Mombasa.

To counter the effects of pollution, the Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Coordination Authority – an intergovernmental body – has launched two so-called “green-freight” strategies with support from UNEP and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition. The latest was endorsed by national ministers in June. It aims to reduce emissions of three common pollutants – particulate matter, black carbon and nitrogen oxide – by 12 percent within this decade. These pollutants have been linked to heart disease, stroke, athma and several health conditions.

The strategy is also aiming to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change, by 10 percent. In 2018, vehicles along the corridor produced more than 1.7 million tons of carbon dioxide.

“Achieving the objectives of the Green Freight Strategy 2030 not only aligns with the Paris Agreement targets but also ensures the corridor’s freight system remains robust and adaptable in the face of a changing planet,“ says Omae Nyarandi, Executive Secretary of the Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Coordination Authority. Globally, the transport sector is responsible for 15 percent of emissions of carbon dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas that is driving climate change. The industry’s emissions are growing faster than any other sector and are set to double by 2050, largely on the back of increases in the Global South.