- Kisumu is among beneficiaries of the funds issued by World Bank and governments of Denmark and Sweden to finance locally-led climate actions.
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The activisists want the county to ensure full implementation of the community-driven programmes.
Image: MAURICE ALAL
Environmental activists in Kisumu have demanded prudent utilisation of Sh273 million climate change resilience investment grant on community-led projects in Kisumu County.
They said the fund from the Financing Locally-Led Climate Action (FLLoCA) should be used on the intended programmes in line with mitigation of climate change impacts.
Kisumu is among beneficiary counties of the funds issued by World Bank and governments of Denmark and Sweden to finance locally-led climate actions programmes.
Led by Sustainable Environmental Development Watch (SUSWATCH) Kenya under the Voices for Just Climate Action (VCA) programme, the activisists want the county to ensure full implementation of the community-driven programmes.
Suswatch VCA programme officer Mike Joseph said the fund was crucial in addressing climate-related challenges and ensuring sustainable development in the county.
“We want enhanced accountability in the county’s climate change finance implementation to ensure prioritised mitigation of climate change impacts are realised,” he said.
Joseph said the implementation of the mitigation of climate change impacts should be community driven and fast-tracked, especially with the ongoing rains which has displaced hundreds of families.
“We want the county government to give more priority on the projects outlined in the participatory climate risks assessment report. It has seen the challenges facing the community and what they want to be done,” he said.
The disbursement of Sh273 million comes after Sh11 million institutional strengthening grants was disbursed in the 2022-23 financial year.
The county government has also committed two per cent of their development budget amounting to Sh100 million in the 2023-24 financial year to fund climate change initiatives.
Joseph spoke during the county climate financing tracking tool workshop in Kisumu on Wednesday.
The meeting brought together the media, ward climate change champions, and CSOs representatives to deliberate on the financing tracking tool regarding climate finance implementation in the county.
Joseph said the civil society organisations (CSOs) will continue to advocate for transparent and accountable utilization of the funds.
He also urged the county to fully engage and incorporate residents in planning, budgeting and financing climate change mitigation programmes, as they are people who bear climate change impacts.
“We want the community engaged on matters of climate change, it allows them to give their views on the effects of climate change that affect them and be part of solutions,” Joseph said.
The CSOs in collaboration with the local community have developed climate finance tracking tools to monitor the allocation and utilisation of climate finances in Kisumu.
Joseph said the tool offers a systematic approach to monitor and evaluate the allocation and utilisation of climate finances at the ward level.
“Through this tool, communities will actively track climate change project implementation and fund utilisation both online and offline,” he said.
The tracking tool, he said, incorporates sampled direct and indirect climate actions from various county departments, with itemised budgets configured in the Integrated Financial Management Information System(IFMIS).
“This will facilitate transparent and verifiable expenditures, aligning with standard codes,” Joseph said.
The community together with CSOs will update the tracking tool quarterly, ensuring timely and accurate reporting to facilitate decision-making and enhance accountability.
“We urge the county government to ensure all the departments should allocate a budget for climate change for implementation of relevant adaptation programs,” Joseph said.
Magnam Environmental Network chairman, Michael Nyaguti,called for effective implementation of climate finances in community-driven projects in the county.
“We want the county government to enhance consistent CSOs and local community engagement in climate change decision-making processes,” he said.
Nyaguti said the county government should provide all relevant information, including publishing critical budget documents on the official county website, such as implementation reports and final supplementary budgets.
“The county should implement prioritised projects as outlined in the Participatory Climate Risk Assessment and Kisumu County Climate Action Plan documents, which highlight the community’s climate change adaptation priorities,” Nyaguti said.
He urged all county government departments to prioritise and implement mainstream climate actions as outlined in the third generation Kisumu County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP III).
Tipo Oganda Community-based organisation chairperson, Ruth Otieno, called for proper community-based programs to help mitigate climate change effects such as flooding.
She said the programmes should target women who are the most affected.
Otieno pointed out that women suffer the most during floods because they have a lot of responsibility for taking care of children.
“In most cases, we face hard times in cooking for them especially when the houses are marooned,” she said.
The mitigation programmes should also empower women through various initiatives on how they can access clean, food and medication during drought, to improve their livelihood.