Building climate change resilience through community-led policy frameworks

The Laikipia Isiolo Samburu Transforming the Environment Through Nexus (LISTEN) project seeks to improve institutional capacities and programming frameworks for inclusive climate resilience and domesticate the National Climate Change Adoption Policy (NCCAP). Arid lands remain highly vulnerable to climate change effects such as severe drought, water scarcity, food insecurity, declining biodiversity, conflict, and displacement. Addressing these challenges requires a multi-faceted approach to policy formulation and legislation. The expected result is sustainable, equitable, and efficient management of natural resources such as land, rangelands, and water in arid areas.

The LISTEN project cascades the national policies and legislation on climate change to the county and grassroots level, anchoring them through the County Climate Change Acts. In the three counties of Laikipia, Isiolo, and Samburu, the project supports the implementation of the County Climate Change Fund Acts which improves resilience, adaptation, and mitigation measures. The act has been developed by stakeholders, both state and non-state actors, through public participation.

‘The aim is to create resilient communities and natural systems that lead the County towards sustainable development with a low carbon pathway’, notes Hon. Josephine Eregae, CEC Water, Sanitation, Energy, Environment, Natural Resources, and Climate Isiolo County. The agenda aligns with the Counties’ vision of a secure, just, integrated, and prosperous area where everyone can enjoy a high quality of life.

The Climate Change Fund under the act presents an opportunity for financing adaptation initiatives at the grassroots level. The Act plays an important role in enhancing climate resilience through the development, management, implementation, regulation, and monitoring of adaptation and mitigation methods. This has been facilitated through the establishment of Ward Planning Committees (WPCs) that identify, prioritise, plan, and oversee the implementation of a key development agenda. The LISTEN project has supported the establishment of six Ward Planning Committees (WPCs) across the three counties of Laikipia, Isiolo, and Samburu.

The WPCs integrate existing community bodies such as Rangelands Management Committees, Community Based Organisations, Water Resource Users Associations, Women groups, Youth, Persons Living with Disability, and Nyumba Kumi. They also validate the priorities and engage in the County Integrated Development Planning (CIDP) process. The committees have an authoritative voice in pushing for their ward development agendas.

Another activity that the LISTEN project has supported the WPCs with is training. The training of the WPCs has equipped them with participatory approaches to mitigate climate change issues. Through the community-led process that involves feedback, discussions, and experience sharing, WPCs have gained an enhanced capacity to analyse risk and understand drivers of vulnerability. They have also been able to develop action plans that address the community-prioritised risks and their causes aimed at the reduction of identified vulnerabilities.

‘The training has helped us gather the requisite skills that enabled us to develop the draft action plans which helped us understand our landscapes better. We know the problems we face, but articulating them into policy - objectively - was a challenge’, stated Kassim Mbusu, Chairman Chari WPC.

Burat and Kinna Ward Planning Committees are also good examples of WPCs that have adopted participatory methods to review existing development plans and ensure ward needs are addressed with every changing cycle.