Members of Parliament, climate experts, development partners and other participants pose for a group photo during the Second Kenya Parliamentary Green Investment Dialogue in Kisumu. Faith Matete
Members of Parliament have challenged the government to fast-track climate action by increasing investment in green projects and strengthening oversight to ensure climate funds deliver tangible benefits to communities.
The appeal was made during the Second Kenya Parliamentary Green Investment Dialogue in Kisumu, which brought together more than 20 legislators, climate experts, development partners and investors to explore ways of turning climate policies into bankable projects.
The three-day meeting, themed "From Policy to Pipeline: Advancing Clean Energy Investment in Kenya", is examining how Kenya can unlock financing for clean energy projects while improving transparency and accountability in the use of climate resources.
Speaking during the opening session, National Assembly Committee on Environment, Forestry and Mining Vice-Chairperson Charity Kathambi Chepkwony said Kenya must move beyond policy commitments and focus on implementing projects that have a direct impact on people's lives.
She said while the country has made significant progress in developing climate policies, the next challenge is ensuring those policies translate into investment-ready projects that can attract both public and private financing.
According to Kathambi, political commitment must be backed by practical action, including the preparation of viable projects and mechanisms that reduce investment risks for financiers.
She noted that County Integrated Development Plans (CIDPs) and County Climate Change Action Plans provide an important foundation for identifying local climate projects that are attractive to investors.
The legislator also called for closer collaboration between Parliament, county governments, development partners and the private sector to mobilise blended financing and concessional funding for climate resilience and clean energy programmes.
Kathambi urged legislators to familiarise themselves with emerging climate financing opportunities such as carbon markets and green investment funds, saying greater understanding would enable counties to develop projects that meet international funding requirements.
She pointed to partnerships with organisations including the Green Climate Fund, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Climate Parliament as key to strengthening Kenya's climate financing framework.
The dialogue also highlighted the need for better access to reliable data to enable Parliament to effectively oversee climate spending and monitor implementation of national climate commitments.
Senator Mohamed Faki said legislators require accurate and timely information to assess whether climate programmes are achieving their intended objectives and whether public resources are being used effectively.
He noted that robust data systems would enable Parliament to track progress, evaluate implementation and hold institutions accountable for delivering climate commitments.
Meanwhile, climate experts from the African Group of Negotiators Experts Support (AGNES) announced plans to merge two digital platforms into a single National Monitoring and Oversight Tool aimed at improving climate governance.
AGNES Team Lead Dr George Wamukoya said the new system will integrate the Climate Monitoring and Accountability Tool (CMAT) with the Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Learning (MERL) platform, creating a unified system for tracking climate projects from the ward level to Parliament.
He said the integrated platform would address challenges associated with fragmented data and poor coordination by providing real-time information to support evidence-based policymaking and oversight.
Participants called on Parliament to institutionalise the use of digital monitoring systems, saying improved transparency and accountability would help ensure climate financing delivers meaningful and lasting benefits for communities across Kenya.
