Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung'u announced that Kenya has received Ksh39.3 billion meant for the climate financing program.
Speaking during a high-level meeting with leaders in Kisumu County on Monday, March 25, Ndung'u explained that the program, Financing Locally Led Climate Action (FLLoCA) is aimed at supporting vulnerable Kenyans who have been severely affected by the effects of climate change.
"Our focus is on enhancing our national systems to ensure funds reach the most vulnerable individuals leveraging existing capacities to respond to shocks and evolving trends," he stated.
The CS emphasised that ecological restoration was key to shielding Kenyans living in the affected areas from severe climate change effects such as drought.
According to the CS, the program shall first be rolled out in the 45 most affected counties. He added that the lack of funds was a major challenge and resulted in millions of Kenyans being pushed to extreme poverty.
Some of the counties earmarked for the project include Trans Nzoia, ELgeyo Marakwet, Bungoma, Uasin Gishu, Busia, Kakamega, Nandi, Siaya, Vihiga, Kericho, Homa Bay, Nyamira, Migori and Kisii.
Environment Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya who was also at the meeting reiterated that counties carry the heaviest burden of climate change hence the need for them to take the lead in dealing with the effects.
"As a Ministry, we appreciate all efforts made by counties in this regard and encourage the devolved units to accelerate these interventions including the roll-out of the FLLoCA program," she stated.
Tuya further added that implementing policies that align the finances at the grassroots level was a sure way to deal with the effects of climate change. The CS noted that the government was working to enhance the resilience of vulnerable communities.
Others present at the meeting were officials from the German government, the World Bank, Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands. These development partners are in support of the program which will be rolled out in 45 counties.
Notably, President William Ruto has been at the forefront of championing measures to curb the impact of climate change in Kenya and other African countries. To realise this dream Ruto announced plans to plant 15 billion trees by 2030.
In November 2023, the Head of State was listed in the TIME 100 Climate List for his efforts to address the effects of climate change. He was listed alongside billionaire and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.
