Kenya in Sh4.8 billion deal with EU to support green transition

EU Head of Delegation to Kenya Ambassador Henriette Geiger Handout

The government has signed a new contract worth Sh4.8 billion to support the fight against climate change, improve livelihoods and conserve biodiversity.

The funding will also restore degraded landscapes and switch Kenya to green.

EU head of delegation to Kenya Ambassador Henriette Geiger said Kenya and the EU have a solid relationship on green transition.

 “We are committed to green transition because we are all in the same boat,” she said, citing ongoing initiatives to limit warming.

 Some of the initiatives she cited include installation of solar panels in Kisumu prison and debates involving young people on the implementation of green initiatives.

Geiger said the Belgium embassy has since gone net zero in the latest efforts to arrest global warming.

He said going green helps to not only protect the environment but also economies and livelihoods.

One of the contracts that was signed is geared towards supporting the measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) system of Kenya' Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).

This project for an amount of Sh600 million will help Kenya establish a sound legal basis and an MRV system to track and report its NDC under the enhanced transparency framework of the Paris Agreement.

Under the Paris Agreement, Kenya's NDC commits to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and the MRV system will help Kenya track and report on its commitments.

The project will be implemented by the national government in collaboration with the county governments.

Head of multilateral agreements at the environment ministry Linda Kosgei praised the initiative, saying it will cement ongoing efforts to report the government's interventions.

 “The successful implementation and achievement of our NDC hinges on a robust and comprehensive monitoring, reporting and verification system,” Kosgei said.

Wildlife PS Silvia Museiya thanked the EU for the support, saying it will go a long way in supporting the government to address some of the challenges.

She said the support is coming at a time when resources from other donors are dwindling.

 Museiya said some of the resources that supported rangers had dried out, risking the protection of the country’s iconic species.

She called for sharing of information even as the project implementation gets underway.

The EU and the government also inked another contract on strengthening climate resilience in the Lake Baringo Watershed.

 The project, for an amount of Sh2.1 billion, will support the adoption and implementation of sustainable land management practices in Lake Baringo watershed to address land use changes, deforestation and climate change.

The project will be implemented in a Team Europe approach with EU member states; Italy and Germany, in close collaboration with the national and county government of Baringo.

Baringo Deputy Governor Felix Maiyo said the move will strengthen climate resilience in the watershed.

He said the new initiative will revitalise the Lake Baringo basin, which is currently faced with a number of challenges.

 “This investment underscores the urgency of addressing environmental challenges facing the region's vital ecosystem. The lake was once a biodiversity hot spot but is now facing a multitude of threats and challenges in terms of the environmental degradation and also floods,” Maiyo said.

He said the challenges faced by the lake stand as a reminder of the basin's vulnerability to extreme weather events intensified by climate change and prolonged droughts.

This coupled with unsustainable human activities like deforestation and overgrazing, have severely degraded the surrounding watershed.

The third contract touches on strengthening community conservation and tourism development, ensuring biodiversity conservation in northern Kenya.

The project for an amount of Sh1.3 billion will support and establish resilient community conservancies for biodiversity conservation, livelihood improvement and peace/security.

It will include the development of a diversified regenerative green economy for and by local communities and strengthen inclusive natural resources governance at the landscape level.

The project will be implemented by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in close collaboration with the national government, county governments and communities.

 The last contract that was signed is dubbed 'Switching Kenya Green – Tujenge Pamoja: Advancing Kenya's Circular Economy through MSMEs'.

The project will promote sustainable businesses by improving access to finance, enhancing business performance and creating green jobs, thereby advancing Kenya's circular economy.

It will help address challenges around limited resources, technical expertise, technology availability and low public awareness of the benefits of circularity.

Hivos and several partners in collaboration with the government will implement the project.