Kenya moves to locally led climate action

On the road to COP26 in Glasgow, the calls for more locally-led climate action are growing stronger. While evidence on the value of local and community-based adaptation and disaster risk management has been building over decades, global and national policies to channel climate finance and decision-making power to scale up these approaches has not kept pace.

Kenya is changing that with the unveiling of the Financing Locally Led Climate Action (FLLoCA) Program.

Developed with support from the World Bank, and from Denmark and Sweden, this programme establishes the first national-scale model of devolved climate finance and supports Kenya to translate its ambition into scaled-up action on the ground.

It recognises that locally-led adaptation can be more effective than top-down interventions, as local communities are more aware of the context and what is needed to drive change. It applies principles of meaningful citizen engagement.

Elders, marginalised

Ninety percent of programme funding from FLLoCA will be spent at county and community levels to ensure that support for climate resilience reaches those most at risk, including women, youth, persons with disabilities, elders, and other traditionally marginalised groups.

With communities across Kenya also dealing with the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, FLLoCA takes a broad view of resilience and recognises that communities are aware and experienced in managing multiple risks simultaneously. For example, investments may focus on activities that support livelihood diversification, or community-level preparedness for multiple risks.

Investments may also promote water conservation and more efficient use of water, support natural resource management, rehabilitate degraded lands, or promote early warning systems.

It builds on the Kenya Accountable Devolution Program, a pilot funded by the World Bank, in addition to County Climate Change Funds piloted by the Adaptation Consortium.