Enhancing Adaptation to Climate Change through County Adaptation Plan, Kenya. by CertifiedG

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Pitch

A County Adaptation Plan is very critical to tackling vulnerabilities, thereby enhancing long term resilience to climate change.

Description

Summary

In deed, a County Adaptation Plan(CAP) is tantamount to reducing affected populations’ vulnerability to shocks and stresses caused by climate change at a community level. My approach seeks to divert attention from a National Adaptation Plan to a rather smaller section of the country which is the county. County governments are autonomous units though they derive their mandate from the national government. Kenya has 47 counties. The CAP will help both the county and national government move towards vision 2030 goals by mainstreaming climate change adaptation into planning and action. This plan will also assist national and county governments by providing guidance on priority actions to tackle vulnerabilities. The CAP articulates a mainstreaming approach under which adaptation and development goals are complementary. This county approach, I believe is intertwined with the National Adaptation Plan, which is clearly stipulated and articulated in the draft Climate Change Framework Policy and Climate Change Act, 2016.

Kenya’s adaptation needs are informed by its county and national circumstances, including current and projected climate scenarios that impact decision making. A climate hazard and vulnerability assessment provides information on droughts, flooding and sea level rise. Moreover, certain strategic adaptation actions should be put up to help these communities which are affected most by climate change cope up with its impacts. This itself enhances their adaptive capacity. Most importantly, CAP will address the climate change impacts at a more devolved level, before transcending to the national level. As this cuts across the counties, the nation at large would have benefit. As compared to the national adaptation plan which seeks to address climate change at a national level, CAP addresses this at a local and county level which is very critical.

What actions do you propose?

Various physical strategic actions underpin my CAP. These actions which will have direct bearing in reducing and solving certain climate change impacts. These actions are;

1. Agriculture, livestock development and fisheries – enhance the resilience of the agriculture, livestock and fisheries value chains by promoting climate smart agriculture and livestock development. Moreover, insurance should also be a crucial feature for these.
2. Devolution – mainstream climate change adaptation into county integrated development plans and implement the Ending Drought Emergencies Strategy.
3. Education and Training – enhance education, training, public awareness public participation, public access to information on climate change adaptation across public and private sectors.
4. Science, technology and innovations – support innovation and development of appropriate technologies that promote climate resilient development.
5. Ending Drought Emergencies – fast track the implementation of the Ending Drought Emergencies Common Programme Framework.
6. Energy – increase the resilience of current and future energy systems by emphasizing on the use of carbon-free renewable energy.
7. Environment- enhance climate informational services; and enhance the resilience of ecosystems to climate variability and change.
8. Gender, Vulnerable groups and youth – strengthen the capacity of the most vulnerable groups and communities through social safety nets and insurance schemes.
9. Health – strengthen integration of climate change integration into the health sector.
10. Infrastructure – climate proofing of infrastructure (energy, transport, buildings, information and communication technologies).
11. Land reforms – mainstream climate change adaptation in land reforms.
12. Oil and mineral sources- integrate climate change adaptation into the extractive sector.
13. Private sector, trade, business process outsourcing, financial services – create enabling environment for the resilience of the private sector investment.
14. Public sector reforms – integrate climate change adaptation into the public sector reforms
15. Tourism – enhance the resilience of the tourism value chain.
16. Water and irrigation – mainstream climate change adaptation in the water sector by implementing the National Water Master Plan (2014)

Who will take these actions?

• United Nations Resilience Initiative A2R and InsuResilience Global Partnership – Oversee the entire project, supervise and monitor the government’s role and to splendidly finance the plan.
• The Kenyan Government (Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources) –oversight role on the plan implementation and financing role. Supervise the working of the counties in the implementation of the plan. It offers technical assistance as well.
• The County Governments of Kisumu, Siaya, Turkana, Garissa, Mandera, Nandi, Narok, Kiambu, Samburu, Wajir, Vihiga, Migori, Lamu, Kwale. These county governments play center stage role in the implementation and coordination of the entire plan.it also will offer technical assistance together with the national government.
• Relevant private sector – contracted by the county governments to ensure proper implementation and coordination of the plan. They may also play a significant role in the implementation of the proposal plan.
• Communities within the counties. This plan requires immense participation of communities which will provide the required labor and support in the implementation of this plan. Mark you, the plan is community-oriented, in that it champions for the welfare of individuals within the different countries. Thus, they will have to work together with relevant organizations in the implementation of this plan.

NB: These will help attain SDG No17 (Partnership for the goals)

Where will these actions be taken?

These actions, to be precise, will be taken in the different counties.  Be that as it may, the plan should focus on specific counties and not all the 47 counties. My criteria for selection of these counties will be strictly on those counties mostly affected by climate change disasters such as drought menaces and flood menaces. It will focus also on those counties that are always cooperative and find it easy to embrace change. That being said, the actions will take place in Kenya in Kisumu, Siaya, Migori, Turkana, Garissa, Mandera, Nandi, Narok, Kiambu, Samburu, Wajir, Vihiga, Migori, Lamu, Kwale counties. All these counties are in Kenya.

What are other key benefits?

1. The Environment – there will be proper maintenance and conservation of the environment to help curb climate impacts. This is highlighted though the championing for climate smart agriculture.
2. Social – improved livelihoods and health benefits. For the plan to be executed, labor is required. This labor will be properly compensated thus increasing livelihoods. Once the plan is also implemented, malnutrition and water borne diseases that arise from both drought and floods respectively will be curbed.
3. Economic benefits, growth and development – there will be creation of both skilled and semi-skilled jobs, that will provide the counties and the country at large with a workforce to facilitate economic benefits.

What are the proposal’s costs?

A budget of 1 million US dollars per county will be very significant to facilitate this plan. The 16 action plans mentioned earlier will all be taken into account during the implementation and allocation of these funds. The 1 million US dollars per county will amount 15 million US dollars for the 15 counties that the action will take place in. This budget will be shared by the national government that allocates funds to the counties, international organizations, relevant non-governmental organizations, individual donations and foreign funding and investment that am sure the plan will attract.

Time line

1. Plan evaluation phase – (years 1-5): this phase basically involves the evaluation of the County Adaptation Plan. During this period, critical decision makers will analyze, evaluate, explore the pluses and minuses of different courses of action, examine the possibilities, viabilities, feasibilities of this plan. Should the plan show signs of high success, then the second phase should not be delayed.
2. Plan implementation and coordination phase – (years 5-20): this phase builds up on the plan established and oversees its implementation. During this period, the 16 actions are overseen and their implementation effected. Implementation will see into it that the actions proposed are put into concrete courses of action, and the counties are engaged in the implementation. Coordination, monitoring and supervision also fall under this category.
3. The “Good Life” phase – (years 15-100, eternity): this phase will be a measure for the success of the plan. This is the after-implementation phase.  It will be evident how this phase has put smiles on faces of individuals within the vulnerable communities and how their lives have been transformed. This will be the plan at its peak, as its impacts are felt across the counties and the state.

Related proposals

References

Kenya Climate Change Framework Policy and Climate Change Act, 2016

https://ccafs.cgiar.org/publications/climate-smart-agriculture-kenya#.WqWNFuhubt

http://www.fao.org/climatechange/42446-0c07532dc34ba6cd28dd890c0825d0239.pdf

http://www.kccap.info/index.php?option=com_phocadownload&view=category&id=30%3Aadaptation-analysis&Itemid=60

https://www.ltsi.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Joto-Africa-November-2015.pdf

https://www.preventionweb.net/files/18959_18893endingdroughtemergenciesinkeny.pdf