Respiratory diseases plague Kenya as more people burn wood to save money

FILE - Jane Muthoni, 65, cooks using firewood at her home in Kiambu, Kenya, May 21, 2024. FILE - Mercy Letting, 33, prepares a meal outside her restaurant in Nairobi, Kenya, May 21, 2024.

Piles of firewood surrounded Jane Muthoni in her kitchen made of iron sheets. The roof, walls and wooden pillars were covered in soot. As she blew on the flame for tea, the 65-year-old was engulfed in smoke.