• In budget proposals read in Parliament on June 15, Treasury CS Njuguna Ndung'u allocated Sh12.4 billion for water resource management.
• To support the environment and water conservation and response to climate change, Ndung'u set aside Sh14.4 billion for forests and water tower conservation.
Kenya is a leader in addressing climate change and was one of the first countries in Africa to enact a comprehensive law and policy to guide national and subnational climate action.
It has put in place measures to pursue a low-carbon and climate-resilient development pathway to help transform into a newly industrializing country.
It plans to reduce emissions by prioritizing the following mitigation activities: increasing the proportion of renewables in the electricity generation mix of the national grid to 100 percent by 2030, promoting energy and resources efficiency across all sectors, climate-smart agriculture, and sustainable waste management systems.
The country has also had it's share of ravages of floods, landslides, droughts and other natural calamities.
The effects of climate change have continuously contributed to food security, loss of livestock and even people.
This has over the years been witnessed in different parts of the country.
Climate change effects led to the state and even different organisations taking bold steps to incorporate sustainability to minimise climate risks.
Budget allocated for climate action
In budget proposals read in Parliament on June 15, Treasury CS Njuguna Ndung'u allocated Sh12.4 billion for water resource management.
To support the environment and water conservation and response to climate change, Ndung'u set aside Sh14.4 billion for forests and water tower conservation.
The amount is an increase of Sh3.8 billion for environmental management and protection, Sh1.5 billion for Meteorological Service and Sh1.1 billion for human-wildlife conflict compensation.
The government’s bid to improve wildlife insurance received Sh800 million while Sh3.6 billion went towards the financing of local climate action projects.
Ndung'u said Climate Change has become a major pressing issue globally.
"Environmental conservation and response to the impacts of Climate Change are the centre of the governments' Social Economic transformation agenda," he said.
Climate Change actions in learning institutions
The Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms went ahead and said that environmental conservation and climate change action would be introduced in all learning institutions.
They said that this is to help in the fight against climate risks that have been the main global issue.
The recommendations were made after extensive public participation, careful deliberations and national validation by key stakeholders touching on the whole spectrum of education, training and research space.
The reforms party noted that they considered certain factors like the country's economic factors when coming up with the recommendations.
"We have also outlined an implementation strategy that, with sustained commitment, we would deliver the National Goals of Education and enable the country to realise the much-needed societal transformation," the report said.
More forest rangers deployed
Despite moves taken to combat the big elephant in the room, people were still encroaching on forests and holding illegal activities such as burning charcoal.
Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Cabinet Secretary for Soipan Tuya therefore said they have heightened measures to protect forests from human destruction.
She said the illegal activities taking place in the forests are at an alarming rate and also condemned rangers supporting the practice.
The CS said that the government is championing the fight against climate change and they need their support to protect forests and lands.
"We are not tolerating illegal activities in our forests. We have deployed more rangers to ensure that enforcement on forest activities is put in place for the protection of the indigenous forest trees and wetlands," she said.
Amendment of Climate Change Act
President William Ruto on September 1 assented to Law the Climate Change Amendment Bill, 2023.
The Bill passed by the Senate during a special sitting is an amended version of the Climate Change Act, of 2016 which seeks to provide for the regulation of the carbon markets.
The previous Act did not provide a legal framework for carbon trading, necessitating amendment to facilitate the effective implementation of carbon markets and trading in alignment with the objective.
The passage of the Bill now makes it possible for Kenya to engage a broader range of stakeholders and support its emissions reduction goals.
Clause 6 of the Act has been revised to expand the mandate of the Environment Cabinet Secretary on the appointment of the designated National Authority for market mechanisms and any other mechanisms deriving from Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
“The Designated National Authority appointed shall also maintain the National Carbon Registry established under new section 23G,” reads the Act.
Inaugural National Tree Planting Day
Interior CS Kithure Kindiki in a gazette notice declared November 13, a public holiday to engage the public in tree growing countrywide.
"In Exercise of the powers conferred by section 3 of the Public Holidays Act, the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration declares Monday, November 13, 2023, a public holiday in which the public shall be engaged in tree growing countrywide," the gazette notice read.
This came after the Cabinet agreed to designate a special working day for tree planting in recognition of the effects of climate change and compliance with the 15 billion tree pledge.
The rapid national tree-growing activity was presided over by President William Ruto.
"Kui Wetland has been selected as the venue of the National Tree Growing activity in line with our Wetlands Restoration Strategy," Environment CS Soipan Tuya said.
The move was in recognition of the effects of climate change and in compliance with the 15 billion tree pledge.
The government seeks to achieve the 10.6 million hectares target through the 15 Billion Trees initiative.
Their goal is also to achieve 30 per cent forest cover for Kenya by 2032 for biodiversity conservation, environmental sustainability, sustainable livelihoods, climate resilience and social-economic development.
It's not clear whether the day will be observed annually.
Adaptations
The country’s priority adaptation actions include enhancing adaptive capacity and climate resilience across sectors and National and County governments, financing locally-led climate action for climate-resilient livelihoods, and enhancing the generation and use of climate information.