- Suswatch programme officer Ronny Cowino said committees should be community-based -led for residents to fully participate in pushing for the adaptation of climate change.
- The committee is involved and the prioritisation and investments of the county climate change funds to address adaptation at the ward level.
Image: MAURICE ALAL
@alalmaurice
Counties have been urged to fully engage and incorporate residents in planning, budgeting and financing climate change mitigation programmes.
An environmental civil society organisation said involving the community will enable them to give their views on the effects of climate change that affect them and be part of solutions.
The organisation raised concern over the inadequate inclusion of the community.
Sustainable Environmental Development Watch Network Kenya said the committees are insufficiently constituted to enable residents to articulate climate issues which affect them directly.
He said the inadequate composition undermines the ability of the communities to manage challenges arising from increasing climate variability and long-term change.
Suswatch programme officer Ronny Cowino said committees should be community-based -led for residents to fully participate in pushing for the adaptation of climate change.
The committee is involved and the prioritisation and investments of the county climate change funds to address adaptation at the ward level.
It consists of 11 members and the ward administrator is an ex-official member and provides necessary linkages with county planning and development processes at the Ward level.
Lack of proper composition also denies the community the opportunity to address the plights they are facing for their well-being.
He emphasised the involvement of communities in decision-making and complements and strengthens participation and integration of climate change concerns in planning and budgeting.
He spoke during capacity building for local media on climate finance, climate justice, and resilience building workshop.
The sensitisation of media organised by Suswatch Kenya in partnership with Hivos East Africa targets to train media to make them engage effectively in public participation and climate change processes.
The counties are expected to receive Sh2 billion from Financing Locally –Led Climate Action for Climate Change preparedness and an additional Sh23 billion in the second phase, an initiative from the World Bank.
Currently, the committees have left out communities as the minority.
Kisumu county director of climate change Evans Gichana said composition stands at 50 per cent for the county and 50 per cent community respectively.
Out of the 11 committee members, only five are from the community.
“The community should be the majority at 80 per cent against the government officials at 20 per cent or 60 per cent and 40 per cent respectively,” Cowino said.
He said the lack of proper composition of the committees was likely to make residents in various counties not effectively champion climate change matters.
“Residents will not realise the objective of tackling effects of climate change if the majority of committee members are from the government,” Cowino said.
Suswatch wants the community to be aware of the ward climate change committee members and their composition.
“Members of these committees should be people of good standing in the society capable of articulating issues facing the community,” Cowino stated.
Sustwach Kenya asked the county governments to ensure climate committees work collectively and not in silos.
“The committee play a critical role in strengthening adaptation planning by the provision of linkage between county government planning and local communities, who ought to benefit from the implementation of the plans,” Cowino said.
They are mandated to conduct participatory assessments of their respective community vulnerability and resilience regarding climate change hazards and impacts.
“The assessments inform on which priority action will be undertaken to address climate change impacts through the approved Budget that was incorporated into the County Integrated Development Plans,” Cowino said.
The committee is mandated to undertake consultative meetings with communities together with relevant government planners, agencies, and local organizations.
They also conduct participatory livelihood and local economy resilience assessments.
“These assessments shall enable different groups, within the wider community, to identify what improves or undermines their ability to manage challenges arising from increasing climate variability and long-term change,” Cowino said.
Based on their findings, Cowino said the committee prioritised and designed investments that will promote climate-resilient growth and adaptive livelihoods based on agreed criteria.
Cowino believes that without proper laws governing public participation in climate change then the objective will not be achieved.
“We want full participation of the community on decisions regarding climate change. We have to desist from the culture of rubber stamping decisions on behalf of residents,” he said.
Sustwach called on counties to improve on ways of collecting public opinion on the development.
Cowino said public participation should be from the village level to ensure all views are incorporated.
“Views of the community from the village should be up-scaled to the villages, put together and later to the ward level before it reaches the subcounty level,” he said.
Cowino advised residents to be active on matters affecting them and understand the need for involving them in matters of climate change.