Public-private partnerships key to achieving Kenya’s forest cover goal

Members of the public plant tree seedlings during the Kaptagat Forest Annual Tree Planting exercise. 

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

In the past year, Kenya has witnessed a series of climatic catastrophes that have oscillated from severe droughts to raging floods that have led to the loss of lives and livelihoods.

With frequent warnings from the Kenya Meteorological Department on the raging and adverse weather conditions, it has become a matter of life and death, requiring the public and private sector to unite and seek a lasting solution to this menace.

This year’s World Environment Day theme, which focuses on land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience, resonates deeply with Kenya’s pressing environmental challenges.

The urgency of greening Kenya can be best understood given that about 84 percent of the country’s land area is as arid or semi-arid.

Environmental degradation affects millions of livelihoods, exacerbating poverty and food insecurity.

Traditional government interventions, while necessary, are often insufficient to tackle these complex issues.

This is where the synergy of public-private partnerships comes into play.

Firstly, public-private partnerships (PPP) harness the strengths of both sectors, creating a robust framework for addressing environmental challenges.

While the national and county governments bring in regulatory support, strategic oversight, and public accountability, the private sector contributes innovation, efficiency, and investment.

Several successful PPP initiatives in Kenya illustrate the potential of this model.

For instance, public institutions and private entities under the Kenya Agricultural Carbon Project support farmers in adopting sustainable agricultural practices and restoring degraded lands.

It is a win-win strategy since farmers also earn an income from the trees.

Another example is the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) collaboration with corporates, including Minet Kenya, where individual companies are allocated depleted forest blocks that need reforestation.

Secondly, the private sector’s role in bringing innovative climate risk solutions and practices to land restoration is invaluable.

This includes mooting climate risk insurance solutions that not only address the immediate aftermath of climate-related disasters but also proactively meet the financial burdens they impose in times of such calamities.

These innovations, when scaled through public-private partnerships, can transform the agricultural landscape, making it more resilient to the impacts of climate change.

The public sector alone cannot address the challenge of land degradation in Kenya.

PPPs can offer a powerful mechanism to pool resources, leverage expertise, and implement innovative solutions at scale.

By embracing PPPs, we can make significant strides in land restoration, combat desertification, build resilience against drought, and secure a sustainable future for people and the planet.

The writer is the Assistant Manager, Corporate Affairs at Minet Kenya

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