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President Kenyatta made the commitment in a virtual address delivered at the 7th Devolution Conference in Makueni where over 3,000 delegates and 1,000 development partners were assembled to engage on locally-led climate action/CoG

DEVOLUTION CONFERENCE

National, county govts to sustain climate action: Uhuru

WOTE, Kenya, Nov 24 – President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday reiterated his administration’s commitment to work with county governments in leading climate action efforts across the country.

President Kenyatta made the commitment in a virtual address delivered at the 7th Devolution Conference in Makueni where over 3,000 delegates and 1,000 development partners were assembled to engage on locally-led climate action.

“Both the National and County Governments will continue working together through the support of the National Climate Change Council, to achieve the 10 per cent forest, and protect our water towers and wetlands,” he said.

President Kenyatta said the Ministry of Environment will avail at least 42.5 million seedlings per county to support the attainment of the 2 billion target needed to realize a 10 per cent forest cover in the country.

He lauded Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu counties for sustained efforts geared at reclaiming green urban spaces singling out the reclamation of the Michuki Memorial Park, the Nairobi Arboretum, and Nairobi City Park in the capital.

President Kenyatta noted that at the national level, the government had committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 32 per cent by the year 2030.

“This will cost Sh6,874 billion (US $ 62 billion).  Out of this figure, Kenya will mobilize 13 per cent from domestic sources, while we expect fund the balance of 87 per cent from the external sources,” he explained.

He noted that the government’s commitment to climate action is necessitated by the need to address emerging challenges linked to climate change, including rising water levels in Kenya’s lakes, a situation that has had a severe impact on affected populations.

“The rising water levels of the Rift Valley Lakes, Lake Victoria and Turkwel Gorge Dam have displaced nearly 400,000 people in thirteen counties and affected biodiversity, including flamingoes in Lake Nakuru,” President Kenyatta stated.

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The Head of State also referred to the famine situation in most parts of the country with an estimated 2.5 million people affected in 23 counties.

Speaking during the event, Council of Governors (CoG) Chairperson Governor Martin Wambora (Embu) called for increased funding to enhance allocations to bolster County Climate Change Funds.

He challenged the Senate to consider the financing of locally-led climate action while negotiation county allocations.

“The Senate needs to consider climate change when it is negotiating for the counties’ share of revenue. County governments should also become innovative in tackling the effects of climate change,” he said.

Wambora said county governments are committed to the climate action agenda and had over the years demonstrated that they are “indispensable and dependable players”.

The CoG Chairperson noted that devolved units had been compelled to mainstream climate action in their respective County Integrated Development Plans as a result of adverse effects on food systems, water, urban, infrastructure and health.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi who also spoke at the conference welcomed investment in locally-led climate action interventions saying security agencies were spending as much as 30 per cent of available operational budgets in efforts to manage security challenges arising from climate change.

Matiangi cited cattle rustling and the crisis in Laikipia where ranch owners have been targeted, some murdered, by cattle herders as examples.

The 7th Devolution Conference themed ‘Multi-Level Governance for Climate Action: Sub-National Mobilization in Unlocking the Full Potential of Climate Action during and after Pandemics,’ is Kenya’s first sub-national climate summit.

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