• Kenya is among African countries grappling with the devastating effects of climate change, compounded by limited resources.
• However, the country has made progress in combating climate change by adopting comprehensive climate change laws and policies.
• Phylis Omido, executive director of the Center for Environmental Justice and Action, told TUKO.co.ke that more than 80% of Kenya’s energy comes from renewables.

TUKO.co.ke journalist Japhet Ruto has over eight years of experience in financial fields, businessand technology reports and provides in-depth insight into Kenyan and global economic trends.

Kenya is one of the regions most affected by climate change in Africa.

This is despite its minimal contribution to historical and current global greenhouse gas emissions.

First Cabinet Secretary (CS) Musalia Mudavadi, who represented the country at the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, noted that many African countries were grappling with the devastating impacts of change climate, exacerbated by a lack of adequate financing. and technical resources.

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“Africa, despite being on the frontline of the climate crisis, has received only 20% of international financial flows for adaptation, amounting to just $13 billion (KSh1.68 trillion) , during the years 2021-2022,” Mudavadi revealed.

However, the country has made progress in combating climate change by adopting comprehensive climate change laws and policies.

These include the Climate Change Act 2016, the Climate Change (Amendment) Act 2023 and the Climate Change (Carbon Markets) Regulations 2024.

Kenya is also implementing the National Climate Change Action Plan, which outlines the country’s long-term strategy to combat climate change.

Kenya’s plans on climate change

1. Renewable energy

Kenya is promoting the development of renewable energy as an alternative energy source as part of its Vision 2030 program.

Phylis Omido, executive director of the Center for Environmental Justice and Action, said: TUKO.co.ke that more than 80% of Kenya’s energy comes from renewables.

“Kenya’s biggest strength in the climate narrative is that we are over 80% renewable energy. That said, it is essential that we audit our climate funding and projects as a country to ensure they address the very real impacts communities and families are experiencing. and not white elephant projects like mass tree planting that cannot be audited,” Phylis explained.

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According to the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA), Kenya’s renewable energy sources are hydropower, geothermal, wind, solar, biological and tidal.

These are :

• Kenya’s installed wind capacity is 5.1 MW, operated by KenGen at the Ngong site.
• The total installed capacity of large hydropower is 826.23 MW. The potential for small hydro is estimated at 3,000 MW.
• According to KenGenKenya is ranked among the largest geothermal producers in the world and has more construction capacity than any other country. The geothermal resources of the Rift Valley, spread over 14 prospective sites, have a potential of between 7,000 MW and 10,000 MW.
• THE Lake Turkana Wind Power Project provides reliable, low-cost energy to Kenya’s national grid. In 2023, it delivered more than 1,481 GWh to Kenya’s national grid, contributing 11.04% to the country’s energy mix.

2. Green Climate Fund

In 2021, under the Green Climate Fund (GCF), Kenya has launched a five-year $34.5 million (KSh4.5 billion) project to reduce the economic impact of climate change-induced drought.

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More than 775,000 Kenyans across 11 counties have benefited from the project aimed at restoring more than 500,000 hectares of degraded rangelands.

The program aims to increase the resilience of livestock and other land use sectors through restored and effectively governed rangeland ecosystems in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands.

3. Ruto’s initiative to plant 15 billion trees

President William Ruto has launched an initiative to plant 15 billion trees across the country by 2032.

The initiative hopes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, stop and reverse deforestation, and restore 5.1 million hectares of degraded and deforested landscapes under the African Landscape Restoration Initiative.

According to the government, planting trees is vital to restoring ecosystems and combating climate change.

Since 2022, Kenya has planted more than 750 million tree seedlings under the Jaza Miti program, which aims to achieve 30% forest cover.

4. Kenya Climate Change Adaptation Program

THE Kenya Climate Change Adaptation Program constitutes another important step in the fight against the country’s vulnerability and resilience to climate change.

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The plan is anchored in the Constitution of Kenya and Vision 2030 – Kenya’s development plan.

It proposes macro-level adaptation actions and sub-actions across 20 planning sectors, categorizing them into short-, medium- and long-term timelines.

One proposal is to integrate climate change into various disciplines and national policy topics. education courses at all levels.

5. Removal of taxes on electric cars

President William Ruto announced removal of all taxes for the first 100,000 electric cars in the budget for the 2024-2025 financial year.

Ruto said the bold move was part of Kenya’s commitment to environmental sustainability and technological advancement.

The president said Kenya is home to more than 30 e-mobility companies and has attracted regional players like US electric vehicle leader Rivian.

ClimateWorX Initiative

Elsewhere, President William Ruto presented Kenya’s ambitious ClimateWorX initiative during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

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Ruto highlighted the program’s focus on tackling climate change and plastic pollution while create job opportunities for Kenyan youth.

ClimateWorX aims to generate 200,000 jobs through projects targeting environmental restoration and critical infrastructure, including the fight against plastic pollution.

Source: TUKO.co.ke