The 7th Annual Devolution Conference happened between 24th and 26th November 2021.
Makueni County hosted the event at Makueni Boys’ High School in Wote town.
On Tuesday 23rd the first activity of the day before making their way to Makueni Boys for the event was planting trees by the governors at Kwa Kathoka grounds, Makueni County.
The previous six devolution conferences have been a walk through the devolution journey and the big four Agenda.
However, the theme of this 7th Annual Devolution Conference was Multi-Level Governance for Climate Action, with a specific interest on Sub-national mobilization in unlocking the full potential of climate action during and after the pandemic.
Counties were expected to share and showcase how they have tackled climate change so far.
During his address to the nearly 1000 fully vaccinated delegates, Makueni County Governor, Prof. Kivutha Kibwana noted that Devolution had already taken root in the country.
Noting that the event came only a few days after the Glasgow’s COP-26 on Climate Change, he added that “It’s like we were prophetic,…,when we thought that this should be the theme of this meeting.”
Action Taken
“… even in the sphere of Climate Change, counties have actually done more than it was expected,” he observed.
Prof. Kibwana lauded the 33 counties that had already acted upon the climate change policy and passed the climate change legal framework, dedicating funds for climate adaptation approaches.
They include Makueni, Wajir, Isiolo, Kitui and Garissa, among others.
He also exhorted the 14 counties lagging behind, though on the tail part of the process now, to work on the final steps and join the long list.
Makueni was the first county in the country to act upon the climate policy, pass the legal framework and dedicate funds to climate change.
He championed for concerted effort and close partnership between counties and the treasury for effective funding.
“We hope in this meeting we are going to have a very robust resolution saying how this will happen in a very concrete way so that we don’t talk, go away and nothing much happens there after,” he hoped.
The governor also said that some counties like Makueni have climate change planning committees on the ward level, working on the implementation part of the climate policies.
He reiterated that implementation must happen at the grassroots level for the fight to be won.
“If that doesn’t happen, we won’t achieve what we want to achieve.”
He applauded the youth for their clarity of thought during the COP-26, urging them, PWDs, women and disadvantaged communities to be central in the fight against climate change.
This being the final annual devolution conference, Prof. Kibwana proposed that as the conference turns bi-annual, the year in-between can be a space for comparing notes and re-evaluating progress of the counties, through a sub-national conference.
President Uhuru Kenyatta opened the Conference via a video link on Wednesday 24th November from South Africa.
He agreed that the conference provided a reliable space “for National and County Governments to come together, reflect upon, evaluate and benchmark their performance on policy and implementation, the legislative framework, but more importantly, service delivery.”
Tagging devolution as the program with the deepest, far reaching impact on citizens’ lives, he noted that its fruits have been reaped in all spheres of the country’s development.
Spirit of cooperation needed
Turning to the Conference’s theme on climate change, he noted that amongst ourselves, the spirit of cooperation, coordination, interdependence and support will carry us through such new challenges as climate change.
He observed that the same approach has helped Kenya to safely pull through Covid-19 pandemic.
A threatened country
“Climate change is not a future problem but a present and serious threat to all our counties and to all nations of the world,” Kenyatta said.
Taking to numbers, he said that Kenya, though emitting less than 1% of global Greenhouse Gases, is currently ranked 31st most vulnerable country to climate change.
Kenya is already losing about 3% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually.
Within the last two years, the most devastating locusts outbreak in 25 years, plunged over 1 million people into food crisis in the entire horn of Africa.
Due to climate change, almost 400,000 people in 13 counties in Kenya have been displaced by the rising waters in the Rift Valley lakes, Lake Victoria and Turkwel Gorge Dam.
Biodiversity has been affected. Flamingoes in Lake Nakuru and Ostriches around Lake Baringo are now depressed after waters swallowed up their home.
“And as we meet today, about 2.5 million people in 23 counties are facing famine because of drought,” Kenyatta reminded the conference.
Kenya’s Efforts
In addition to Kenya’s significant contribution and participation in the Glasgow’s United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) forum, Kenya has enacted strategies and policies to combat climate change.
The Climate Change Act of 2016 and National Climate Change Action Plan 2018-2022 are some of the seven policies in force against the phenomenon.
The head of state said that these policies are being mainstreamed to health, water, waste management, agriculture, energy and forestry sectors in a devolved manner.
He recognized the on-going efforts to increase forest cover for clean, healthy environment for all.
“It is our obligation to ensure that our environment is protected and conserved not just for us but for the benefits of future generations,” he added.
The efforts include a tree planting project, which has by now seen almost 2 million trees planted before and during the conference.
Kenya has been on the frontline on the war against climate change and it is committed to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 32% by 2030.
This commitment, according to the President, requires some Ksh. 62 Trillion.
He hoped that as Kenya musters 13% of the financial power, COP-26 will deliver on the 87% foreign aid required.
Kenyatta urged the national and county governments to hold hands, adopt the policies and adapt to them in order to win the game.
At the same time, he recognized the importance of technology for updated, real-time information and awareness on climate change trends.
Tossing himself into the climate change battle, he said that “As chairman of the national climate change council, I will personally remain at the forefront to ensure that our desire to achieve a low-carbon, resilient and prosperous future is realized.”
Keriako Tobiko, the Cabinet Secretary for Environment also attended the event.
He noted that even though science is the backbone of such discoveries, we only need our eyes to see that climate change has engulfed us from every side.
Tobiko appreciated the efforts by different stakeholders and the ongoing exit from blame game.
He called for more unity among local institutions.
He noted that our economies and communities are sensitive to climate change, unlike foreign ones which have already taken root.
Questioning the stand of current political aspirants on the matter, he argued that it should be part of their discussion.
“I think it is important that we mainstream climate change and environment in our political discussion.”
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, proposed the creation of a National Climate Council (NCC) to steer climate action at the national level.
“It is a life and death matter that has cornered everyone all over the planet,” he said.
Cabinet Secretary for Interior and Government Coordination, Dr. Fred Matiang’i tagged climate change as driver of social conflicts such as cattle rustling, arguing that, “We must build better inter-governmental relations since this issue of climate change cuts across the security sector.”
Commenting on the event earlier, Vihiga Governor Wilbur Ottichilo, who doubles as Council of Governors’ chair for Environment and Climate Change Committee, said that “Climate is what makes us survive and any threat to it means a threat to our very existence.
All council members unanimously agreed that we direct our energies to climate change and investment.”
The doors of the three-day conference were closed on 26th November 2021 by Defense Cabinet Secretary, Eugene Wamalwa, who represented the deputy president, Dr. William Ruto.
Resolutions
The final resolutions of the conference were out shortly after the conference, presented through a joint communiqué.
They will then be discussed by climate change working groups in county level and then taken to climate change council, which will chart a way forward on their implementation.
Kenya is the first country to hold a conference exclusively addressing the issue of climate change.
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