Is There The Will Or The Way in KENYA?

Kenya’s long-term development trajectory is in threat. A recent article published in a leading Kenya newspaper highlighted the warning given by Kenya’s Environment Cabinet Secretary, Prof. “Negative impacts of climate change could reverse Kenya’s progress towards the attainment of Millennium Development Goals and the economic blueprint Vision 2030”.

Drought and water shortages are making life near impossible, and they are only predicted to get worse.

The vision 2030 is a national long-term development blue-print that aims to transform Kenya into a newly industrializing, middle-income country providing a high quality of life to all its citizens by 2030 in a clean and secure environment. The three pillars of this vision- Economic, Social and Political- and the priority sectors within the vision 2030 (Tourism, Agriculture, Wholesale and retail trade, Manufacturing, IT enabled services and Financial services) are all climate sensitive.
The climate change impacts are evident from increased climate related extreme events that are affecting sectors- prolonged droughts and frequent floods in various parts of the country; unpredictable weather patterns that have greatly affected the Agriculture sector and a mix of other hazards are a tell of just how things can get worse if no action is taken.
Prof Wakhungu also notes that Kenya loses over Sh4.5 billion annually due to climate change impacts on development and infrastructure. “Climate change is the most serious and complex challenge Kenya and other sub-Saharan African countries have.
The phenomenon and its resultant impacts could cost the national economy as much as $500 million a year, an equivalent of approximately 2.6 per cent of the country’s GDP”.
It can be argued that if the business remains as usual, the costs of climate change on Kenya and other African economies will continue to rise. These costs should not only be measured in terms of ‘properties destroyed’ but should look at the lives lost, the health related costs.
Such issues are quite relatable especially among African countries that are highly prone to climate change impacts. The cascading impacts brought forth by climate change on people, sectors and infrastructure can actually be dealt with if all stakeholders put their foot down and come up with decisions that would cause a great revolution.
The COP20 offers this platform.

How prepared is Kenya and the rest of Africa for the COP20?

Ms Fatuma Hussein during the PreCOP

Delegates from governments, civil societies, NGOs, UN bodies, the private sector and others, from over 190 countries are heading to the capital of Peru, Lima, for the 20th session of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change, otherwise known as COP20 that is scheduled to start from 1-12 December.

Kenya is part of the African Group and the G77 & China, the latter being a group of developing countries with a range of diversities among them. During the pre-COP, organized by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Natural Resources in conjunction with the Kenya Climate Change Working Group (KCCWG), various issues were highlighted in relation to the COP20. According to Ms. Fatuma Hussein of the Climate Change Secretariat, “Kenya is committed to having an ambitious and effective global instrument agreed upon at the UNFCCC level. The government is doing its best by developing instruments but there is need to do much more in terms of building resilience and adaptation”.

On behalf of Kenya, she felt that adaptation should be part of a global effort and not left as a national issue because it is an obligation for all parties to collectively reduce emissions of greenhouse gases that would reduce the impacts of climate change. Adaptation should therefore be driven by country needs through National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). The institutional arrangements/mechanisms should therefore be adapted in the agreement.

As opposed to adaptation, mitigation already has clear systems and mechanisms in place under the UNFCCC. However mitigation ‘should be based on science and be consistent with 2OC goal. There should be specific commitment to support developing countries’ efforts”.
An important issue of concern for Kenya is the climate finance which needs to be adequate, stable and sustainable. The financial targets should be quantified to be consistent with the temperature goal.
According to Ms. Hussein, “The Green Climate Fund (GCF) needs to be anchored on the agreement and a clear reporting mechanism clarified. There will be need to look at how much the GCF amounts to and how much has been pledged so far”.

Luckily for Kenya, the funds have been approved but the challenge remains with the institutional and legal frameworks which are still being developed. The finalization of the climate change policy will aid in putting in place the frameworks necessary for implementing projects and programmes that are geared towards reducing the impacts of climate change.

It is hoped that the COP20 will set a good stage for a global and ambitious deal that would be a savior for all. As we head to the COP20, we can only hope, beyond all hopes, that the negotiations will be very fruitful. Indeed, success in Paris entirely depends on Lima!