PRESIDENT RUTO APPOINTS WAIGURU TO NATIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE COUNCIL

The Mountain Journal

President William Ruto has appointed Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru to

the newly established National Climate Change Council in the wake of her

ongoing campaigns to address climate-related challenges.

Waiguru’s has been on a relentless campaign for the country to adopt

interventions for climate change mitigation following a severe drought, the

country’s worst climate related crisis in the recent past that has affected

food security.

The council will leverage the country’s resources and expertise in support

of the whole-of-government approach to addressing the climate crisis.

The body which will provide an overarching national climate change

coordination mechanism for the country will be chaired by President Ruto.

Other members of the council include Deputy President and Cabinet

Secretaries responsible for; Environment and Climate Change Affairs,

National Treasury and Energy. Others will be drawn from various

government agencies and county governments.

The appointment was communicated through a letter dated December 8,

2022 from State House Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix

Koskei.

The council together with the Climate Change Directorate was established

through Climate Change Act which commenced operation on May 27,

2016.

Waiguru who is also the chair of the Council of Governors (COG) has

termed climate change as a real threat to mankind as evidenced through

an increase in frequency and severity of disasters such as droughts, floods,

landslides and influx of diseases and pests.

“The issue of climate change is a matter of concern for Kenya because

despite contributing the least to global emissions, it has suffered the

ravages of floods, landslides, droughts and other natural calamities.

Droughts have continuously threatened food security, through crop failure,

loss of livestock and people as well,” she said. 

She says that lack of adequate funding has remained a major constraint to

the implementation of climate change interventions by the county

governments.

One of the responsibilities of the council will be to approve the revised and

updated National Climate Change Action Plan, advise governments on

policies and laws necessary for climate change response and attaining low

carbon climate change resilient development.

The council will also administer climate change funds and set targets for

the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions and providing advise on how to

mainstream climate change into the education sector.

Last week, Waiguru said county governments have set aside Ksh. 877

million for climate change mitigation and adaptation initiatives.

The COG Chair said the devolved units have been undertaking various

initiatives dealing in mitigation and adaptation and have put in place bills to

enable them to allocate at between 1-3% of their development budgets.

She pointed out that 44 counties have established County Climate Change

Funds through enacting requisite climate change legislations, 45 have

already established Climate Change Units, while 30 of them have set up

ward climate change planning committees.

The governor said that there is need to follow though the COP27

discussions on the operationalization of the financing instrument to support

loss and damage accruing from climate change impacts to countries worst

hit by Climate Change, as well as provision of improved funding for

implementation of gender action plans for developing countries.

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