CPA 041 – BioLite HomeStove in Kenya

Audit Analysis

BioLite's improved cook stove programme in Kenya rests on a sound AMS II.G methodology with a VVB-verified combined additionality test and a quantified 5% leakage deduction, but the verification report surfaces an unusually large volume of material findings and corrective actions (over 30 findings, 22 CARs) that point to systemic data-quality and record-keeping weaknesses. The project-specific baseline, absence of a stated buffer pool, and a 14% downward revision of the national fNRB between 2023 and 2025 introduce moderate over-crediting risk that is only partially offset by the conservative national-default fNRB and near-identical assumed/verified usage rates.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Over 30 material findings and 22 corrective actions in the 2025 verification report, including database linking errors, missing survey data, and inconsistent ER calculations across multiple vintages
• ⚠No buffer pool percentage stated in any available document, leaving permanence risk for stove replacement or abandonment unaddressed
• ⚠National fNRB dropped from 0.915 (2023 verification) to 0.7875 (2025 verification), a 14% reduction that may indicate earlier-period ERs were over-estimated
• ⚠Project boundary was inconsistently described (Kenya/Uganda vs India/Kenya/Uganda) and required resolution during verification
• ⚠Potential double-counting of end users with similar names in the database was flagged by the VVB

Credit Vintages