Kenya has secured technical assistance worth USD 700,000 from the Santiago Network on Loss and Damage, becoming the first country in Africa to receive such support.
The funding will support a comprehensive national assessment of climate-related loss and damage experienced over the past decade, aimed at strengthening evidence-based policymaking, planning, and climate resilience strategies.
The announcement was made on the margins of the 64th session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Subsidiary Bodies (SB64) climate meetings held in Bonn, Germany.
According to the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, Kenya is only the second country globally to receive technical assistance under the Santiago Network mechanism, underscoring its growing role in international climate action.
The support will be used to document and analyse the impacts of climate change across sectors over the past ten years, providing critical data to guide national adaptation planning and resource mobilisation efforts.
The award was formally communicated to Principal Secretary for Environment and Climate Change, Dr. Eng. Festus K. Ng’eno, by Santiago Network representative Elizabeth Carabine during the Bonn negotiations.
Kenyan officials at the climate talks included Mamo Boru Mamo, Director General of the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), Samson Toniok, Chief Executive Officer of the National Environment Trust Fund (NETFUND), and Dr. Pacifica Ogola, Director of the Climate Change Directorate.
The Ministry said the development reinforces Kenya’s position as a regional leader in climate policy and resilience-building, particularly as countries across Africa face increasing exposure to droughts, floods, and other climate-induced disasters.
The Santiago Network on Loss and Damage was established under the United Nations climate framework to provide technical assistance to vulnerable countries dealing with the irreversible impacts of climate change.
