Climate experts, government officials, community representatives, and humanitarian and development agencies have called for more locally-led financing to support communities in adapting to the impacts of the changing climate and building resilience.
A new report on climate impacts reveals that the average temperature in East Africa rose by 0.7–1°C between 1973 and 2013. This increase has triggered multiple and cascading impacts on Kenya’s population, natural ecosystems and economy, and far-reaching repercussions on lives and livelihoods.
The report, Climate Change Impacts in Kenya: What Climate Change means for a country and its people, provides crucial and timely insights into Kenya’s climate crisis and offers recommendations on locally-led adaptation and resilience efforts.
Led by Patricia Nyinguro and Dr Joyce Kimutai of the Kenya Meteorological Department, Kenneth Mwangi of the World Resources Institute and Winnie Khaemba of Climate Analytics, the report was officially launched by Environment PS Dr. Eng. Festus Ng’eno and Dr Wilber Ottichilo, the Governor of Vihiga and Chair of the Environment and Climate Change Committee at the Council of Governors.
Speaking during the report’s launch in Nairobi, climate experts, along with officials from national and county governments, community representatives as well as humanitarian and development agencies, emphasized the urgent need for immediate action.
They stressed that this action, grounded in climate finance, is essential and critical to support adaptation, resilience, protection of biodiversity and low-carbon development, ensuring a fair and livable future for Kenya’s people.
With a faster rate of warming compared with the global average, climate change impacts in Kenya are projected to increase in frequency and intensity with each degree of warming. Climate change-induced heatwaves, altered rainfall patterns, and drought are creating unexpected challenges for Kenyans and the economy. Human activity and fossil fuel-powered development continue to cause extreme climate events.
The recent report underscores the severe impacts of climate change on Africa’s agricultural output and health. Wheat yields in Africa are projected to decline by 15% by 2050, significantly higher than the global reduction of 1.9%. In Kenya, tea production is expected to fall by 26% even with aggressive greenhouse gas reduction efforts. Climate change will also place an additional 75.9 million people at risk of malaria in eastern and southern Africa by 2080, with eastern Africa facing the greatest threat.
Festus Ng’eno, emphasizes the urgent need for climate finance in Kenya to support adaptation and low-carbon development. The report highlights the importance of mobilizing and enhancing local and traditional knowledge systems, particularly those of Indigenous communities, to mitigate climate change effects.
“It is crucial to prioritize equity in our climate initiatives, as vulnerable communities are the most affected by climate impacts. We must ensure that no one is left behind in our efforts to combat climate change. There is a need to increase funding for research that contextualizes global model outputs, sector-specific costs of climate impacts, the cost of inaction, and the role of local and indigenous knowledge, among other factors, if we are to adequately adapt to impacts of the changing, especially at the local level.” Principal secretary for the Ministry of Environment.
Immaculate Ntalai, Nadupoi women group, Kajiado County in response to increased droughts, said, “We have launched community-led initiatives to secure sustainable water access and support our livelihoods. By leveraging local knowledge and resources, we are building resilience against the impacts of climate change. We are committed to this effort and determined to find ways to adapt for the sake of our children.”
‘“Every year, despite Kenyans working harder, we are losing our capacity to produce food due to the impacts of climate change. Last year, we faced a food crisis in July, a cholera outbreak in September and a flood crisis in October. Climate change is an undeniable reality -a troubling reality. The time to address this crisis is now.” Ahmed Idris said
Senator Hamida further stated that “it’s crucial to integrate coordinated climate adaptation strategies and policies that are sensitive to climate issues now. We must listen to communities and collaboratively create sustainable climate solutions. Legislators must enact laws to ensure a sustainable and resilient Kenya in the face of climate change.”
“Under the Financing Locally Led Climate Action (FLLoCA) Program, the National Treasury emphasizes the importance of citizen engagement and local leadership in advancing climate action efforts. This approach highlights the critical role of community involvement in developing sustainable environmental strategies.” Said Peter Odhengo.
