The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the Principal Secretary of Environment and Climate Change to avail records for a carbon deal signed between Kenya and a United Arab Emirates (UAE) firm.
Kenya signed a deal with Blue Carbon owned by billionaire and member of Dubai royal family Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook al-Maktoum.
The documents had initially been requested by a private citizen but the government failed to honour the request forcing the Office of the Ombudsman to intervene.
“The Commission has ordered that the Principal Secretary, State Department for Environment and Climate Change facilities access to information relating to the Framework of Collaboration (FOC) agreement signed between the State Department and Blue Carbon, a company based in the United Arab Emirates, around October 2023,” a statement from the office read in part.
The private citizen had requested the information on March 2024, invoking the right of access to information as guaranteed in the Kenyan Constitution.
According to a statement from the Office of the Ombudsman, the information being sought includes the entirety of the deal as well as implementation and action plans.
Additionally, the PS is expected to provide minutes of negotiations, implementation progress reports, monitoring reports and any other relevant documents.
“I kindly request the Commission on Administrative Justice to intervene in the matter and compel the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry to provide the requested information promptly," the private citizen had appealed after she was denied access to the information.
Despite the Office demanding a response from the PS, the ministry has remained silent on the details of the deal.
Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook al-Maktoum made global headlines in 2023 after his firm secured deals to manage vast areas of African forest.
Apart from Kenya, the billionaire has signed deals with governments of Zimbabwe, Liberia, Zambia and Tanzania.
The long-term goal of the UAE firm is to sell carbon credits to countries seeking to honour the Paris Agreement by buying carbon reductions and removals from elsewhere.
