The recently launched Mombasa City Lab will help generate concrete solutions for the region’s complex urban flooding and climate adaptation challenges.
The city lab was launched Friday in collaboration with the Covenant of Mayors in sub-Saharan Africa (COM SSA).
It is also expected to tackle complex, cross-sectoral urban challenges by fostering collaboration among diverse stakeholders, including government, civil society, the private sector and academia.
Mombasa Deputy Governor Francis Thoya described the launch of the lab as a pivotal initiative in the county’s journey towards a resilient and sustainable future.
“The recent rains and subsequent flooding have reminded us of the urgency of the challenges we face, especially in the context of climate change,” he said.
“We acknowledge the impact on our communities and recognise the need for comprehensive, collaborative solutions.”
The Mombasa City Lab, Thoya said, is born out of the recognition of the climate challenges the county faces and is a testament of the county administration to innovation and resilience.
He said it represents a structured participatory process involving the county, academia, civil society, the private sector and local stakeholders.
"Together, we aim to co-develop concrete solutions to address our city’s complex urban flooding," Thoya said.
The city lab process is expected to bring relevant stakeholders together to generate and co-develop innovative ideas for how to solve urban issues where competing and conflicting priorities are addressed and feasible solutions are generated.
During the implementation, the lab will co-develop and co-design concrete solutions for the city’s complex urban flooding climate adaptation challenge in one year.
Where reasonable and possible, the lab will take action towards selected, proposed solutions.
“The Mombasa City Lab process is not just a forum; it is a critical intervention, a laboratory for ideas and actions that will lead to transformative outcomes,” Thoya said.
Water, natural resources, and climate change resilience executive Dr Emily Achieng said the lab has come at an opportune time as the county looks for solutions to problems affecting the county.
“The lab is going to look at the complexity of a problem and who can solve it. As a county, we have taken strokes, and we are adjusting our budget to factor in social programmes to assist people affected by the recent floods,” Achieng said.
She said her department is putting plans in motion to implement the recently launched Mombasa Climate Change Action Plan, adding that several bills will be brought to the county assembly for adaptation.
Achieng said she was working closely with the lands department to ensure that even the 6.9 per cent of emissions coming from buildings are reduced by the first quarter of next year.
The action plan, she said, is not only for her department and the county, but for all stakeholders in Mombasa.
“We will publish new green building codes by the first quarter of next year, and all stakeholders will abide by them to reduce emissions," Achieng said.
“With our partners, GIZ, we have finished mapping the energy load from county buildings. We are looking at renewable energy alternatives because, as a government, we want to lead from the front.”
Irene Garibaldi, the head of cooperation for the European Union delegation to Kenya, said the launch of the lab will help to address the consequences of climate change in Mombasa.
She lauded the Mombasa government for spearheading initiatives to address the effects of climate change locally.
“The floods we witnessed recently have shown us the negative effects of climate change. I want to confirm to you that the EU is committed to working with counties to support inclusive and resilient urbanisation, improve energy planning, reduce multinationalism and help achieve local development agendas,” Garibaldi said.
She said in the just-concluded COP28 discussions in Dubai, the EU has committed about Sh3 billion for the Covenant of Mayors in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Covenant of Mayors in Sub-Saharan Africa (CoM SSA) is the largest global network of cities committed to tackling the intricate challenges posed by the impacts of climate change and inequitable energy access.
CoM SSA is part of the Global Covenant of Mayors, an initiative of 13,000+ cities taking ambitious climate action.
Support for CoM SSA is co-funded by the European Union and Germany and co-implemented by GIZ in Kenya.