USAID commits US$75million to Kenya in Combating Climate Change

By Victor MUJIDU

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has committed KES 8 billion (approximately $75 million) to support Kenya in combating climate change and building resilience to its impacts.

The funding will be used for various projects aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, promoting renewable energy, and implementing sustainable agricultural practices.

USAID’s investment in Kenya’s climate change efforts is part of a larger global initiative to address the challenges posed by a changing climate.

By working together with Kenyan authorities and local communities, USAID aims to support the country in adapting to the impacts of climate change while also contributing to global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Some of the key objectives of USAID’s funding include promoting clean energy sources, enhancing water resource management, and supporting sustainable agriculture practices.

By investing in these areas, USAID hopes to help Kenya build a more climate-resilient economy and protect its natural resources for future generations.

This significant financial commitment from USAID demonstrates the agency’s strong commitment to supporting Kenya in its efforts to combat climate change and build a more sustainable future.

It also highlights the importance of international cooperation in addressing global challenges like climate change.

Kenya is a leader in addressing climate change and was one of the first countries in Africa to enact a comprehensive law and policy to guide national and subnational climate action.

The USAID move is, however, serving as a substantial measure of executing the obligations of the Nairobi Declaration on Climate Change and Call to Action heads summit held recently in Nairobi.

The USAID support is a stepping stone to salvaging the frequently drought-affected counties of northern Kenya that majorly practice pastoralism.

Aside from the Ksh8 billion in funding, the International Development Agency recently allocated Ksh50 billion ($38 million) in loans and investments for small business empowerment within the arid and semi-arid regions.

The funding will be channelled toward purchasing irrigation tools for farmers in areas of Garissa and Wajir counties, among other related areas.

“We are from this area. We understand that the services are needed, and they are excluded from the financial systems and the grid as well,” Aidarus said. “There is no access to energy.

Being able to get this investment first gave us the opportunity to put up and the courage to move to Wajir and establish an operation there. It gave us an opportunity to turn fewer customers away,” said Abubakar Aidarus, head of the Solargen organization.

According to some non-governmental organizations, USAID will transform the lives of the communities in the northern part of the country, besides managing the effects of climate change.

“USAID KUZA is coming in to bridge the gap in terms of providing access to financial services but also providing incentives in the form of financing, catalytic financing,” Mayaka said.

“This financing goes into [addressing] the missing links in terms of the provision of water, the provision of technical assistance to some of the clients, providing access to finance, but also providing some of the services to the communities.

And this is cascaded down to the communities,” said Venny Mayaka, who works with a nongovernmental organization that implements the USAID Kuza program in northern Kenya.