An environmental civil society organisation wants the county governments to prioritize mitigation of climate change impacts through fast-tracking climate financing implementation.
Sustainable Environmental Development Watch (SUSWATCH) Kenya said counties should allocate 2 per cent of the development budget to finance climate change mitigation programs.
Suswatch program officer Ronny Cowino said the fund was pivotal in addressing climate-related challenges and ensuring sustainable development.
He also urged counties to fully engage and incorporate residents in planning, budgeting and financing climate change mitigation programmes.
“We want the community engaged on matters of climate, it allows them to give their views on the effects of climate change that affect them and be part of solutions,” Cowino said.
He spoke during a two-day workshop on fast-tracking climate financing in Kisumu.
The meeting brought together the media, Ward Climate Change Champions, and WCCPC representatives to encourage an in-depth understanding of the challenges, successes, and future plans regarding climate finance implementation in the county.
Sustwach has been operating in Kisumu since 2011 and working closely with the Kisumu County government in formulating the Climate Change Policy 2019 and the Climate Change Act 2020 to guide the implementation of climate finances in the county.
The act has outlined the constitution of the Ward Climate Change Planning Committee (WCCPC) in all 40 wards to oversee the implementation of climate finances within the county.
Sustwach has also been training communities and county officials on fast-tracking climate financing implementation in Kisumu County.
Cowino said WCCPC in Kisumu has been diligently working towards effective strategies to expedite the implementation of climate finance initiatives in the county.
He however advocated for a proactive measure on mitigation of climate change, which he said should be community-driven.
“We have counties prioritizing the two per cent allocation of the development fund to climate finance,” Cowino said.
Besides the 2 per cent allocation, he said there is the World Bank funded for county governments through grants, Financing Locally Led Climate Action.
“The fund will be implemented alongside the two per cent from counties to address the impacts of climate change through community-driven initiatives,” he said.
The counties are expected to receive Sh2 billion from Financing Locally –Led Climate Action for Climate Change preparedness and an additional Sh23 billion in the second phase, an initiative from the World Bank.
The committee consists of 11 members and the ward administrator is an ex-official member and provides necessary linkages with county planning and development processes at the Ward level.
“We are hopeful that this composition will be able to put the community voices at the forefront when implementing programs targeted at tackling the effects of climate change,” he said.
Further, Cowino said they are sceptical that those mandated with climate financing implementation will focus on community-led initiatives.
Tipo Oganda Community-based organisation representative Ruth Otieno called for proper community-based programs to help mitigate climate change.
The programs should target women, who are the most affected. Otieno pointed out that women suffer the most during floods because they have a lot of responsibility for taking care of children.
“In most cases, we face hard times in cooking for them, especially when the houses are marooned,” she said.
The mitigation programs should also empower women through various initiatives on how they can access clean, food and medication during drought, to improve their livelihood.
Nyalenda B ward climate change planning committee chairman Jacob Ogola said they have outlined programs which they plan to implement towards climate mitigation.
With the county government support, he said they have plans to ensure community-driven projects on climate change are fully implemented.
“We are training residents to capacity build them and ensure prudent utilisation of the funds on the projects they identified,” Ogola said.
He added that the community is given priority on matters of climate change because they are massively affected.
The community is also being trained on the best ways to manage waste and conserve their environment.