CS Tuya shares ministry priorities with development partners

Environment, Climate Change and Forestry CS Soipan Tuya on Monday chaired an Environment and Forestry Development Partners Coordination meeting at the Climate Summit Secretariat Office in Nairobi.  

The CS listed environment, climate change and forestry governance; conservation, protection, management and restoration of the environment, and forestry ecosystems as well as climate change adaptation and mitigation as key focus areas.

"As a ministry, we are now very clear about our implementation trajectory. On Wednesday this week on May 24, 2023, we will be validating our strategic plan for the period 2023 to 2027," the CS said.

"I know that as key stakeholders, some of you have added your voices to that draft strategic plan and would still invite those that have not to share with us your comments as we finalise the document."

Tuya invited development partners to support the Ministry in the implementation of the various programmes in the five focus areas saying their support will help Kenya meet some of her international obligations.

"This will contribute to our efforts in the realization of the aspiration under Article 42 of the Kenya Constitution 2010 to provide a clean and healthy environment to the people of Kenya," she added.

"Moreover, it will also help Kenya to meet some of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN Agenda 2030 while at the same time enabling us to fulfill our international obligations on environment and climate change." 

The CS said the ongoing amendment of the 2016 Climate Change Act is aimed at mainstreaming carbon trading among other reforms.

The proposed amendments will undergo final virtual public participation this week ahead of due legislative processes.

Speaking at the same event, Environment and Climate Change PS Festus Ng’eno reiterated the need to integrate technology in the provision of meteorological services.  

"We will operationalize the national climate change learning and awareness strategy, integrate emerging technologies in the provision of meteorological services, modernization of meteorological infrastructure weather forecast, and issuance of the daily weather forecast," he stated.  

Ng’eno further reaffirmed the government’s commitment to abate Kenya’s Green House Gas (GHG) emissions by 32% by the year 2030 and develop and update Kenya’s GHG inventory.  

He additionally called for the review of the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP) III. 

The meeting brought together several national and multinational agencies in the environment, climate change and forestry sectors.  

In attendance were diplomats from the Japanese, Italian and Denmark embassies.

Representatives from the European Union in Kenya, the German Development Agency (GIZ), United Nations Development Fund and International Organization for Migration also graced the event.  

Earlier today PS Ng’eno stressed Kenya’s commitment to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, and called on the achievement of the vision, mission, and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).  

His sentiments came as Kenya joined other countries to mark the International Day for Biological Diversity.