Anne Waiguru, Chairperson of the Council of Governors in Kenya, praised the efforts to fund climate action in counties. Kenya has implemented a decentralised financing model for climate change adaptation, including the establishment of the County Climate Change Fund (CCCF) and climate change legislations enacted by county governments. The CCCF is a key component of a national planning and financing framework that strengthens local capacity and channels resources to community-driven climate action priorities. The Financing Locally-Led Climate Action (FLLOCA) Programme has been adopted in all 47 county governments in Kenya, with counties receiving $8.9 million in funding under the FLLOCA and an additional $66.3 million for climate resilient investment grants to be disbursed. Waiguru emphasized the need for collaboration between national and sub-national governments, stakeholder mapping, policy alignment, and innovative financing mechanisms to mobilize additional resources for climate projects. [b50060a7]
The Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF) has called for younger environmentalists to create more innovations to mitigate climate change. KCDF Executive Director Grace Maingi stressed the importance of fostering and advancing innovation within the development sector during the launch of the second Young Environmentalist Innovative Challenge (YEIC). They have extended support eligibility to individuals aged 15 to 35, offering grants of up to five million shillings. Chief Guest, Regional CEO of I&M Group PLC Kihara Maina commended KCDF for its commitment to supporting youth innovations and emphasized the government's role as an enabler. Chairman KCDF Gordon Odundo challenged the youth to take the lead in conserving the environment. Founder of Green Generation Initiative (GGI), Elizabeth Wathuti highlighted the challenge's timing and its empowering platform for Kenya's youth. The inaugural challenge, launched in 2023, has seen winners emerge from Nyandarua County, Nairobi County, and Kiambu County. [7d1a5507]