Street food in Kenya is more than just a meal – it is an essential part of daily life for millions. It is affordable, accessible, and serves as an unspoken lifeline for many. However, for street food vendors, the daily routine can be challenging: cooking at home, transporting food, keeping it warm for hours, and relying on charcoal, which is not only costly but also harmful to both the environment and their health. Enter the Halisi Trolley: an innovative solar and bioethanol-powered cooking solution that is transforming the entire street food industry.
Beyond addressing key challenges in street food vending, these revolutionary trolleys contribute directly to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Halisi Trolley supports SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 13 (Climate Action) by reducing carbon emissions and preventing deforestation through the elimination of charcoal. It also advances SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) by enhancing food safety and hygiene, while promoting SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) by providing an affordable, cost-effective solution for vendors.
The Halisi Trolleys are making a tangible impact in various counties of Kenya, including Nairobi, Meru, and Machakos, where vendors have already embraced the product. These vendors report a transformative experience in their businesses, thanks to the practical benefits of the Halisi Trolley. Here is what some of them had to say:
John Kamau Nairobi, “The Halisi Trolley is great! It attracts customers and increases income. Customers can charge their phones while paying, and I can even use it at night because it is equipped with lighting. I also don’t have to get my hands dirty anymore since it doesn’t use charcoal, and the trolley remains clean.”
Nduku Mueni from Machakos adds, “The Halisi Trolley has made my life so much easier! I no longer wake up at dawn to search for charcoal, and the solar lighting allows me to work late into the evening. Customer traffic has improved, and my business is thriving!”
In Meru, Augustine Mukaria shares, “The Halisi Trolley has transformed my business! No more charcoal costs, and the built-in mobile charging keeps me connected. My sales have increased, and customers love the clean cooking experience!”
Zuhura Solutions has developed and now sells two versions of the Halisi Trolley: one powered by solar energy to warm food and another running on bioethanol. The Bioethanol Cooking Trolley is generating excitement, with social media abuzz and interest reaching new heights. This enthusiasm was evident at the Nairobi Street Food Festival (NSFF), where the trolley stole the show. Attendees were captivated by its sleek design, efficiency, and game-changing functionality. Vendors and entrepreneurs witnessed its potential firsthand, with many eager to integrate it into their businesses. The ability to cook fresh meals on-site, combined with its eco-friendly advantages, has positioned the trolley as an essential innovation in the street food industry—redefining convenience, sustainability, and profitability.
Spurred by a spirit of innovation in the green energy space, Zuhura Solutions has embraced a philosophy of failing fast, failing forward, and evolving in response to market demands. By analysing customer feedback and product performance data collected through the trolleys’ onboard sensors, Zuhura Solutions is now in its fifth year of operation and is developing a third, cost-effective and unique product: the Hybrid Trolley. Still in its early development phase, this product is envisioned to run on both solar energy and bioethanol fuel, building on the strengths of its predecessors while addressing their inefficiencies. The hybrid trolley is designed to feature a bioethanol cooker, a hybrid food-warming system, IoT capabilities, GSM features, and a spark ignition system. This new product will diversify Zuhura’s portfolio and further address the challenges faced by vendors in this untapped yet promising sector.
As demand for the trolley continues to soar, we take pride in how far we have come – and we are just getting started. The Bioethanol Cooking Trolley is not only making street food vending more sustainable, efficient, and hygienic but also paving the way for a brighter future for vendors, customers, and the environment.
Zuhura Solutions now has started a new partnership with Afya Mtaani, a Kenyan non-governmental organisation working in healthcare, primarily in Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). The organisation is seeking sustainable income-generating solutions such as Zuhura Solution’s Halisi Trolley, for its beneficiaries. This partnership significantly strengthens Zuhura Solutions’ customer base across and serves as a testament to the trolley’s versatility. It is not only revolutionising the street food sector but also enhancing public health initiatives by providing a sustainable, hygienic, and efficient way to serve food. The partnership comes at a time of growing interest in the Halisi Trolley, as existing customers continue to promote the product organically.
Zuhura Solutions is a Fellow of Startup|Energy, an initiative of Stiftung Solarenergie to support African Energy startups. The initiative is supported by several donors, e.g. GET.invest, , a European programme which aims to mobilise investment in renewable energy, co-funded by the European Union, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden and Austria.
