Two years have now passed since H.E. Ambassador Amina Mohammed, then Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary signed the Paris Climate Accord, binding the country to global efforts to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change.
Screenshot from The Weekly Citizen
Kenya has been hailed a world leader in environmental conservation, a fact that has been supported by numerous world's firsts that the country has achieved in its 53 year history. The late Professor Wangari Maathai is recognized as the first Nobel Peace Prize laureate regarding her long fight for conservation of the country's forests from private developers. The country has played host to the headquarters of the United Nations Environmental Program at Gigiri since its formation in 1974. The country boasts Africa's largest wind farm at Turkana as well as the continent's and the world's largest single geothermal power project at OlKaria. Regionally, she stakes claim as having the largest solar farm has achieved a number of continental firsts such as developing one of Africa's largest solar farms, Africa's largest wind farm at Turkana,
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That in mind, the government of Kenya has been on the forefront lobbying for a new deal to encompass all fronts to mitigate the effects of climate change. It is notable that Kenya
Risks of Climate Change to Kenya
According to the 2016 Global Climate Risk Index, Kenya ranks 45th losing $32.87 million annually, a figure that puts into account the cost of the effects of climate change onto the economy, thus, it stands at high risk of the adverse effects of climate change. Institutional weaknesses and low resource management policies have been largely blamed for the country's lack of preparedness for the debilitating effects of climate change to the economy. The 2009 Stockholm Environment Institute's Economics of Climate Change in Kenya report paints a scenario in which the country stands to lose an equivalent of 2.6% of its Gross Domestic Product annually by the year 2030. To cushion the country through climate change adaptation programmes, the report estimates that about US$2 billion will be required annually to finance adaptive capacity building and climate resilience which in turn will lead to accelerated development and increase social protection. Straddling the equator within the tropics, Kenya is classified as a water-scarce country by the United Nations due to the precariously limited freshwater resources the country possesses. Despite the ongoing
Role of Legislation and Policy in Climate Resilience
Having adopted a new constitution in 2010, Kenya is ripe for major legislative reforms which potentially could lead to the formulation of progressive policies over a wide range of issues including climate change. Notably, the Kenyan Parliament passed the Climate Change Bill, 2014 just days before the Paris Agreement. This Bill, two years in the offing, seeks to . The Bill also introduces a national authority to oversee the compliance to laws pertaining climate change action. This authority, the first of its kind in Africa, will be responsible for the preparation and implementation of climate change action plans, strategies and policies formulated by the Government of Kenya. A similar Bill, the Climate Change Authority Bill, 2012, was unceremoniously rejected by then President Mwai Kibaki citing lack of public participation during legislation. The County Governments
Climate Financing in Kenya
To consolidate her commitment towards mitigating climate change, Kenya formulated a Climate Action Plan in March 2013 within a wider National Climate Change Response Strategy in 2010. This 20-year strategy proposed an annual finance budget of US$ 3.14 billion (Kshs 300 billion) towards climate adaptation and mitigation programmes. In July 2015, Kenya's Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) proposed a 15-year US$ 40 billion (Kshs 400 billion) budget in form of finance, investment, technology development and transfer, and capacity-building.