Anne Muhonja Songole2024-05-062024-05-062023-10Songole, A. M,. (2023, Thesis). The Effectiveness Of Participatory Communication In The Uptake Of Environmentally Friendly Cookstoves: The Case Of Civil Society Organisations (Csos) In Kibera, Nairobi County, Kenya. School of Communication, Daystar Universityhttps://repository.daystar.ac.ke/handle/123456789/4475Masters ThesisABSTRACT This study set out to determine the effectiveness of participatory communication by civil society organizations in the uptake of environmentally friendly cookstoves in an urban informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya. To do this, the study sought to identify the participatory communication methods used by CSOs in Gatwekera village of Kibera, to understand whether those participatory communication methods resulted in uptake of clean cooking solutions and to establish how influential participatory communication is in the uptake of clean energy solutions. Using a mixed methods approach, this study established that the participatory communication method that civil society organizations used was functional participation which resulted in uptake of clean cooking solutions. Further, participatory communication methods were also used by friends, family and peers resulting in significant uptake of clean energy solutions. The study further determined that empowered participatory communication was the most influential in the uptake of clean cooking solutions. It was also the type of participatory communication method that was most used by social networks. While the findings showed that uptake of clean cookstoves directly promoted by civil society organizations was low, there is a strong possibility that participatory communication methods used by civil society organizations was also a factor in influencing social networks who in turn influenced the respondents. The study recommended that civil society organizations should consider partnering with friends, family and peers within communities in the deployment of clean cooking initiatives, while ensuring that the participatory communication method used is empowered participation which allows for co-creation, buy-in and ownership by communities.enParticipatory CommunicationEnvironmentally Friendly CookstoveCivil Society OrganisationsKiberaNairobi CountyKenyaThesis