Kenya is set to receive Sh660 million to uplift the Weather and Climate Information Services (WISER).
This is after the UK Minister for Development Anneliese Dodds announced a £ 30 million (Ksh4.8B) WISER Africa program out of which Kenya will pocket the Sh660m.
The new funding for WISER Kenya will go towards adaptation to climate hazards such as droughts, floods and storms.
The program is set to work with communities, particularly women and girls so as to understand and enable them to respond to their needs.
Through the DARAJA project, WISER is supporting inclusive urban initiatives across East Africa by providing early warnings of extreme weather, particularly to marginalized communities based in informal settlements.
In partnership with the Kenya Meteorological Department, IGAD Climate Predictions and Applications Centre (ICPAC), and Kenya Red Cross the WISER program will enhance early warning and early action before disaster strikes, reducing humanitarian needs and supporting drought-affected communities.
Enhancing weather and climate forecasting is an essential part of enabling households, government and humanitarian actors to take anticipatory action, reducing the risk to life and livelihoods due to extreme weather events.
The project has previously worked with local communities such as Kibera to co-design weather information using radio and SMS. This has helped people to take action to protect themselves and their property.
“Weather and climate services help us all to prepare better. WISER has supported farmers and communities across Kenya - from Lake Victoria to Kibera - to anticipate and reduce the impact of severe weather,” Wigan British High Commissioner said.
Neil Wigan also added that through the funding, WISER is looking forward to working with the Kenyan Meteorological Department and other partners to enhance Early Warning Systems and support communities to prepare for climate shocks such as droughts and floods.
Philip Omondi Amingo, Senior Climate Scientist at ICPAC also emphasized that the program will really help in warning the community to prepare ahead of predicted weather and climate hazards.
“This funding will greatly enhance the capacity of leading early warning and humanitarian institutions in Kenya to develop triggers and early warnings ahead of predicted weather and climate hazards, reducing the impacts on communities before they fully unfold,” Amingo said.
Previous phases of WISER delivered early warning services such as improved weather forecasts for Lake Victoria, which led to a 30% decrease in severe weather-related deaths and generated $44 million (Ksh5.6B) in economic benefits for Lake Victoria fishing communities.
