Addressing Climate Change: Success Stories From Kenya

The Climate Change Challenge

Kenya just like many third world countries is extremely susceptible to the impact of a changing climate since most livelihoods and economic activities are reliant on climate sensitive natural resources.

Kenya’s Climate Change Response

Responding to climate change ought to a national priority for Kenya and other countries. We shall at a very high level highlight some of the Kenya government initiatives that have been implemented to address climate change:

Drought Management– The government of Kenya has established a National Drought contingency fund that provides flexible financial resources to those impacted by drought. The fund facilitates early payment to reduce the time between warning of drought stress and response at the county level, reflecting a policy shift from crisis management to risk management. The fund is the first of its kind in Africa and is expected to reduce the destructive impact of drought.

Geothermal Energy-Geothermal energy has a prominent role in the Kenya government’s plan for expanding electricity generating capacity and reaching the goals of vision 2030. Geothermal energy is optimal for low carbon climate resilient development because it contributes to greenhouse emission reduction and reduces the electricity sector’s vulnerability to climate change by reducing reliance on hydro generation power. Kenya is among the top ten geothermal produces globally and has an installed capacity of 573 Megawatt.

Climate Change Policy and Bill-The Kenya government worked with stakeholders to develop a national climate change framework policy and legislation. The policy and bill both adopt a climate change mainstreaming approach that includes integration of climate change consideration into development planning, budgeting and implementation in all sectors and at all levels of government.

National Climate Change Resources Centre-The Kenyan government has set up a one stop repository of climate change related information, equipped with an online climate change portal.

Over and above that organizations such as the National Environmental trust fund (Netfund) are making headway in encouraging citizen participation in climate change through awarding and incubating innovative social enterprises in Kenya.

Public and Private entities also have a role to play in mitigation of climate change. It is in this regard that Viffa Consult helps organizations in Africa make critical decisions related to sustainable strategy, environmental and social impact of operations, stakeholder engagement and sustainability-related growth and cost opportunities.

Viffa works with its clients to ensure that sustainability efforts are anchored in business fundamentals and demonstrate a clear return on investment and that those efforts are rooted within the clients’ strategy and operations.