Kisumu assesses climate change risk to inform impact mitigation

A community-driven climate change risk assessment has been launched in the 35 wards of Kisumu county to help mitigate the impacts of climate change.

The assessment aims to ensure participation of residents at ward level in decision-making on matters of adaptation and addressing the effects of climate change.

Kisumu climate change director Evans Gichana said the launch of the pilot assessment will facilitate the rollout of the report across the county.

The risk assessment report factored public participation in identifying climate risks within the community and supporting them to find possible and viable solutions.

During the validation exercise for the Climate Change Adaptation Plan, piloted in seven wards in Kisumu Central subcounty, Gichana said climate change mitigation requires community-led initiatives.

The two-day workshop was organised by Slum Dwellers International Kenya (SDI) in collaboration with the County Department of Climate Change and brought together stakeholders from various sectors.

The county government, he said, with the support of SDI, initiated the process of developing a Climate Change Adaptation Plan, which will be crucial in tackling the impacts of climate change in Kisumu.

The pilot exercise was conducted in the seven wards, namely Kondele, Nyalenda B, Railways, Manyatta B, Nyalenda A, Central Kisumu and Kaloleni/Shaurimoyo.

Maseno University provided the technical support to Kisumu by developing the tools used by the community in data collection and reporting.

It did so through its department of urban and regional planning.

The project lead researcher Dr Emmanuel Midheme said the process was community-driven as they best understand what affects them.

“This was a co-production between us, the community and the other stakeholders, and data was collected from the household levels, in focus discussion groups, interviews among other data collection techniques, such as review of secondary data,” he said.

The researchers, after collecting data, took the document to the people for validation after collation and analysis.

Dr Midheme said the climate adaptation was important to the people because they need to ask themselves what they want to be done in their villages in the next five or 10 years, and use the documents to achieve their vision.

“This is the second validation exercise, which now widens the scope of stakeholders, including both government and non-state actors,” he said.

The data collected included identifying the forms of impacts of climate change, such as flooding, drought and water scarcity.

The collected data factored in the impacts of these phenomena to livelihoods, infrastructure and social amenities.

He said the proposed interventions would help in mitigating the adverse effects of the impacts of Climate Change and providing solutions to the damages caused by the phenomena.

Gichana said the Climate Adaptation Plan will be factored in the County Integrated Development Plan, County Annual Plans and Vision 2030 for efficient implementation.

Already, the county government is implementing the Climate Change Act, which provides for allocation of two per cent of the county’s annual budget to climate adaptation.

“This translates to Sh100 million, which the county will allocate to the 35 wards for this project,” he said.

“We want locals and partners to work closely with the Ward Climate Adaptation Committees to ensure implementation of the community-led adaptation projects.”

The initiative, Gichana said, brings climate adaption programmes closer to the people, and enables them to make decisions on what they want done in their villages in the next five or 10 years.

The document will help them realise their vision of tackling the effects of climate change in communities.

A community-based network called Muungano ya Wanakijiji, which spearheaded the mobilisation of residents in the pilot project, said the engagement was inclusive.

Network officer Rhoda Otieno said the data collected reflected the needs of the community who were engaged.

“We worked closely with women networks, youth networks, people with disabilities, business people, farmers and households to capture the views of every community member,” Otieno said.

SDI project officer Killion Nyabuga said the programme is part of its Voices for Just Climate Action targeted at increasing the mitigation efforts on impacts of climate change in Kisumu.

He termed the assessment report timely.

“We are optimistic that the report will enable Kisumu to mitigate effects of the El Nino if the leadership makes good use of it,” Nyabuga said.

“The document outline specifics in terms of the impacts of climate change, indicating prone areas, how people are affected and possible solutions.”

Further, Gichana said the United Nations Climate Change Climate Adaptation requires countries and communities to develop adaptation solutions and implement actions to respond to current and future climate change impacts.

He said the county government is committed to mitigation and adaptation on impacts of climate change.

Gichana said Kisumu is among the counties seriously affected by climate change, which requires a concerted effort to mitigate the effects.

Recently, the county rolled out the Integrated Climate Change Action Plan to mitigate the adverse effects of the phenomenon. The plan aims to achieve low carbon emissions.

Through the plan, Gichana said climate-resilient mechanisms have been developed focusing on adaptation, mitigation and access to clean energy by vulnerable groups, among them children, women, the youth, persons living with disabilities (PLWDs), the elderly and the marginalised.

Gichana said a vulnerability assessment and baseline survey was conducted to establish the most affected areas in terms of the greenhouse gas effects before the document was developed.

He said the plan focuses on climate change adaptation by championing proper land use and management, with emphasis on climate-smart agriculture to boost food security.

Gichana said various projects have been outlined in the action plan with the aim of reducing green gas emissions in Kisumu city and its environs.

The earmarked projects include increasing the forest cover, which currently stands at 0.02 per cent, to 5 per cent over the next five years.

“We are looking at how we can make sure there is access to clean energy that is renewable and affordable across all the sectors of the economy,” Gichana said.

He said a legal framework has been developed to establish village climate change planning committees, which will feed into the county planning council for effective management of the phenomenon.

Gichana said Kisumu being the only county with such a plan in the region, the efforts shall cross the borders to ensure that the other devolved units put in place mechanisms to combat climate change.