The Council of Governors has urged the United Nations to prioritise extending support to county governments to develop County Climate innovation hubs.
Speaking when she met deputy secretary general of the United Nations Amina Mohammed, CoG chairperson Anne Waiguru said unless significant steps are made to reverse the effects and cut greenhouse gas emissions, the drought situation in the country may continue to worsen.
"I therefore propose that the UN deliberately collaborate with county governments to enhance their capacity to mobilise additional financing including green and blue bonds,” she said.
Amina, who is also the chairperson of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group is visiting Kenya to lead the run-up to Conference of Parties to harness the Africa collective call and actions in the wake of ecological and climate emergency.
Waiguru said no one knows for sure the impact climate change will have on future food supplies in counties and thus local communities need to be supported to help in creation of green investments.
She said the innovation hubs would support youth and women in contributing to climate change adaptation and mitigation.
"County governments are assigned specific functions and responsibilities including implementation of national policies on environment, climate change, natural resources management, forestry, soil and water conservation and disaster risk management,” she noted.
The CoG chair noted that the need for counties to focus on climate action has been necessitated by the adverse impact of climate change on livelihoods.
She said partnership will help draw a climate compatible development pathway essential towards unlocking Kenya's potential since sectors of the economy are climate sensitive.
Currently, the drought situation in Kenya has worsened in 20 of the 23 Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALS) counties.
This has been attributed to failure of four consecutive rain seasons with a projected Sh4.35 million people expected to be affected by October this year.
The COG chair said due to climate change, marginalised and vulnerable communities in the affected counties are now facing greater difficulties from extreme weather which is manifesting as droughts, floods, landslides and cold snaps.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports that Africa is highly vulnerable and adversely impacted by climate change with reported increase in diseases and pests and hotter temperatures.
Waiguru said county governments have constrained financial and human capacity to address the overwhelming challenges of climate change and require support to restore forests, watershed and rangelands, construction of dams and develop water storage and treatment plants to increase access to portable water.
She said there is need for commercialisation of the livestock sector to enhance productive livestock value chain in the ASAL counties.
Despite aforementioned constraints, Waiguru highlighted that county governments have made significant strides in advancing the climate agenda by taking action to combat climate change and its impacts by establishing County Climate Change Funds.
This, she said, has been achieved via the enactment of the requisite legislation, allocation of resources intended to finance mitigation and adaptation activities and establishment of Climate Change Units.
"All the county governments have designated County Executive Committee Members (CECMs) in charge of Climate Change and localisation of climate Action at the Community level- established 26 subcounty climate change-planning committees. 30 counties have ward climate change planning committees,” she noted.
The CoG chair said a number of county governments have also prepared an inclusive contingency and emergency operations plans and climate vulnerability plans to ensure long lasting solutions to recurrent drought in Kenya.
Waiguru asked UN to consider counties in the proposed review for the United Nations Sustainable Development and Cooperation Framework to incorporate the County Governments Integrated Development Plans.
