By Mwangi Ndirangu
The National Treasury has allocated Sh11.2 billion to 46 counties to strengthen climate resilience and help communities cope with increasing droughts, floods, and other climate-related disasters.
The funds, announced through a Kenya Gazette notice, will be channeled to counties under the County Climate Resilience Investment Grant (CCRIG) programme, part of the broader Financing Locally-Led Climate Action (FLLoCA) initiative that seeks to empower counties and local communities to design their own climate adaptation projects.
Treasury officials said the financing will support projects such as water-harvesting systems, climate-smart agriculture, disaster-preparedness infrastructure, and the restoration of degraded ecosystems.
The funding combines resources from the Kenyan government and international development partners. The World Bank, through its International Development Association, contributed Sh5.7 billion, while KfW Development Bank of Germany added Sh1.2 billion, with county governments providing Sh4.2 billion in counterpart funding.
Treasury said counties will be required to submit detailed implementation plans before accessing the funds and must establish dedicated climate finance structures and separate accounts to ensure transparency.
Monitoring systems will also require counties to file quarterly progress and financial reports to both the Treasury and development partners.
Climate experts say the move is critical as Kenya faces intensifying climate shocks. More than half of Kenya’s counties experience severe climate impacts, including prolonged drought, erratic rainfall and increasing floods.
Treasury officials say strengthening resilience at the local level will reduce the economic and humanitarian costs of climate disasters.
Under the FLLoCA programme, counties will work with local climate committees comprising community representatives, experts and county officials to identify priority projects.
The initiative is part of Kenya’s broader efforts to meet its climate commitments under the Paris Agreement, while ensuring that climate financing reaches communities most vulnerable to environmental shocks.
