Devolved adaptation funds in Kenya’s drylands

Kenya’s new Constitution (2010) grants county governments authority and responsibility fort he socio-economic development of their county according to local priorities. This provides an opportunity to test a model for devolved County Adaptation Funds (CAFs) to prepare county governments to access global climate finance for adaptation and climate-resilient development. With funding from the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and a grant from the Catholic Organisation for Relief and Development Aid (Cordaid), a devolved county-level climate finance mechanism – the Isiolo County Adaptation Fund (ICAF) – was piloted starting in 2011, with a view to outscaling to all counties in arid and semiarid Kenya. The project report “Isiolo County Adaptation Fund: activities, costs and impacts after the 1st investment round” (2014, 32pp), compiled by Geoff Wells and Ced Hesse of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), summarises the process, costs, value for money and impacts of the project so far. Representative ward and county adaptation planning committees are managing the ICAF to finance public good investments for improved resilience to climate change. Tangible benefits are already apparent for almost 19,000 people as a result of improved water availability, pasture management and livestock health – all critical aspects of climate-change adaptation in pastoral areas. The report, issued by the Kenya National Drought Management authority, outlines the future trajectory for funding adaptation to climate change in Kenya’s drylands.

Posted on 12 July 2014 in Pastoralism & Climate Change, Pastoralism, Policy & Power