Despite being among the least contributors to global Greenhouse Gas (GHGs) emissions, Kenya continues to grapple with the ever-increasing burden of Climate Change. Climate Change hits first and hardest on vulnerable populations of especially women, youth, persons with disability, indigenous communities, and marginalized communities highly reliant on a Kenyan economy that is dependent on climate-sensitive sectors of agriculture, water, energy, tourism, wildlife, and health. ‘With 2030 nearing and yet the promise by 193 nations to leave no one behind with the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, seems unachievable due to global inaction on issues such as climate change.’ When ever-increasing climate disasters of unprecedented heavy downpours cause a rise in water levels in Lake Nakuru, Elementaiata, and Naivasha, as prolonged and frequent droughts in Nakuru County; while no one is safe from these climate adversities, how can the most disadvantaged adapt quickly and also contribute to Mitigation efforts? Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN) is cognizant of the fact that there are few avenues where the most impacted by climate change can demand climate action. The Voices for Just Climate Action Programme supported by Word Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) provides this avenue that comprises Civil Society Organisations in Nakuru County working on climate action at the forefront advocating for climate action. The Civil Society Organisations drawn from youth, the Ogiek community, persons with disability, women, and marginalized persons organisations on 5th July 2022 set the Agenda to advocate for the implementation of the Nakuru County Climate Change Act, 2021 and the Climate Change Fund Regulations, 2022 in order to ensure prioritisation of community needs in the county action plans and receive support for their locally identified priority adaptation actions. Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN) has been supporting Civil Society Organisations in collaboration with other Voices for Just Climate Action (VCA) working in Nakuru County to realize their set agenda by building their capacity on the Nakuru County Climate Change Act, 2021 and Climate Change Fund Regulations, 2022 that provides for the establishment of the Ward Climate Change Planning Committees (WCCPCs) and the Financing Locally Led Climate Actions (FLLoCA) Programme by the National Treasury that aims to strengthen local resilience to climate by delivering capacity building and climate finance for community-led actions that aim to strengthen local resilience to climate by delivering capacity building and climate finance for community-led actions.
Duty bearers are at the forefront in implementing climate actions; ALIN has been forging partnerships with the County Government of Nakuru to cultivate a collaborative environment where CSOs can engage and ensure that decisions made on climate change are participatory, inclusive, transparent and utilize effective collaboration between the County Government of Nakuru and non-state actors to secure climate justice. Further ALIN is working towards securing climate justice by highlighting and giving close consideration to the implications that existing gender inequalities, coupled with climate change have on exacerbating vulnerabilities of climate change.
Despite being among the least contributors to global Greenhouse Gas (GHGs) emissions, Kenya continues to grapple with the ever-increasing burden of Climate Change. Climate Change hits first and hardest on vulnerable populations especially women, youth, persons with disabilities, indigenous communities, and marginalized communities highly reliant on a Kenyan economy that is dependent on climate-sensitive sectors of agriculture, water, energy, tourism, wildlife, and health. ‘With 2030 nearing and yet the promise by 193 nations to leave no one behind with the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, seems unachievable due to global inaction on issues such as climate change.’ When ever-increasing climate disasters of unprecedented heavy downpours cause a rise in water levels in Lake Nakuru, Elementaiata, and Naivasha, as prolonged and frequent droughts in Nakuru County; while no one is safe from these climate adversities, how can the most disadvantaged adapt quickly and also contribute to Mitigation efforts?
Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN) is cognizant of the fact that there are few avenues where the most impacted by climate change can demand climate action. The Voices for Just Climate Action Programme supported by Word Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) provides this avenue that comprises Civil Society Organisations in Nakuru County working on climate action at the forefront advocating for climate action. The Civil Society Organisations drawn from youth, the Ogiek community, persons with disabilities, women, and marginalized persons organisations on 5th July 2022 set the Agenda to advocate for the implementation of the Nakuru County Climate Change Act, 2021 and the Climate Change Fund Regulations, 2022 in order to ensure prioritisation of community needs in the county action plans and receive support for their locally identified priority adaptation actions.
Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN) has been supporting Civil Society Organisations in collaboration with other Voices for Just Climate Action (VCA) working in Nakuru County to realize their set agenda by building their capacity on the Nakuru County Climate Change Act, 2021 and Climate Change Fund Regulations, 2022 that provides for the establishment of the Ward Climate Change Planning Committees (WCCPCs) and the Financing Locally Led Climate Actions (FLLoCA) Programme by the National Treasury that aims to strengthen local resilience to climate by delivering capacity building and climate finance for community-led actions that aim to strengthen local resilience to climate by delivering capacity building and climate finance for community-led actions. Duty bearers are at the forefront of implementing climate actions;
ALIN has been forging partnerships with the County Government of Nakuru to cultivate a collaborative environment where CSOs can engage and ensure that decisions made on climate change are participatory, inclusive, and transparent and utilize effective collaboration between the County Government of Nakuru and non-state actors to secure climate justice. Further, ALIN is working towards securing climate justice by highlighting and giving close consideration to the implications that existing gender inequalities, coupled with climate change have on exacerbating vulnerabilities of climate change.
The people of Kajiado County have long been accustomed to periodic drought and famine greatly impacting livelihoods heavily reliant on pastoralism for their sustenance. But when an ever-changing climate is bringing about unprecedented temperatures, altered rainfall patterns, and extreme weather events, their lives and livelihoods continue to be drastically impacted. A decade of grappling with the reality of crop losses, livestock losses, and a high prevalence of pests and diseases, drought and floods became a regular occurrence, wreaking havoc on their livelihoods, leaving communities vulnerable and unable to cope. The County Government of Kajiado’s response measures with limited resources hinder their efforts to cope with the climate menace. Thus, the non-state actors especially at the grassroots level, supporting those who were most affected by the climate crisis are an essential component in response to the climate crisis, and strengthening their capacity to advocate for climate justice and climate finance would directly benefit the most vulnerable in society.
Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN) with support from Oxfam, has been working to strengthen Civil Society Organisations Engagement with the County Government of Kajiado on Climate Justice and Climate Finance to ensure the effective influence of the county priorities on climate action and hold the county government accountable in implementing climate conscious and responsible fiscal policies that benefit the ward level. Already, Civil Society Organisations have engaged the County Government of Kajiado on the County Integrated Development Plan 2023-2027 and presented a Joint CSO submission during the Public Consultative Forum for the Preparation of the 2023-2027 County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP). This is a step closer to realizing ALIN’s many goals in achieving climate justice for “Democracy, climate justice, and public education for all in Kenya,” supported by Oxfam and a green economy advocated by women, young people, and civil society alliances that achieve sustainable, gender transformative and equitable socioeconomic futures for communities in Kajiado.
Kilifi County, Kenya, is all too familiar with the devastating effects of climate change. To protect its citizens and resources, the County has continued to put in place mechanisms and legal frameworks; the Kilifi County Climate Change Act, 2021 to mitigate the impacts of climate change and enable its citizens to adapt to an ever-changing climate characterized by frequent flooding, rising temperatures, recurrent droughts, sea level rise, land and forest degradation, loss of biodiversity, and desertification. Similar to the conditions in other arid counties in Kenya, Kilifi has not been spared the devastating effects of climate change.
To address these issues, Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN) is partnering with Kilifi County Government’s Department of Water, Environment and Water and the Kenya Platform for Climate Governance (KPCG), with support from Oxfam to build the capacity of Civil Society Organisations and communities on evidence-based advocacy in order to hold the county government accountable in implementing climate conscious and responsible fiscal policies at the county and ward level. As a result, since September 2022; stakeholders from across Kilifi County have been convening and deliberating on strategies and opportunities they can take up to influence and spur dialogue with the county government to ensure that community priorities are included during the annual county budgeting process.
A key milestone is the County Government of Kilifi, Department of Water, Environment, Forestry, Climate Change, Natural Resources and Solid Waste Management, and Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN) with support from Oxfam in consultation with Civil Society Organisations and other government multisector actors developed the County Climate Change Fund Regulations. Climate justice can only be achieved if both state and non-state actors actively and effectively take part in advocating for a sustainable future especially women, young people, and civil society organisations. ALIN will continue to employ measures to tackle the effects of climate change by lobbying for the Kilifi County Assembly to pass the draft Climate Change Fund Regulations, supporting the review of the 3rd generation County Climate Change Plan, and ensuring community priorities are included in the County Integrated Development Plans. The need for the county to invest significantly in climate change adaptation and mitigation projects and programs in order to effectively tackle the impacts of climate change cannot be overstated. More so, the provision of support and resources to vulnerable communities in the county, and building their resilience in the face of climate change.
Future food security in Kenya rests with the youth and few young people envision a future in which they practice agriculture to earn a living. However, due to growing interest in farming, efforts to involve children in agriculture have begun to pay off in Ol-Moran Ward, Laikipia West Sub County. Peter Nderitu, 24, earned his Bachelor of Psychology degree from Egerton University last year. Instead of going to Nairobi to hunt for a white-collar career, he asked his parents for a two-acre plot of land so he could start an agricultural business. Nderitu frequently visits Ng’arua Maarifa Centre where he sources information about the various agricultural sectors that he might succeed in the Naibrom area.
The centre was established by the Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN) to equip farmers with access to information on agriculture, national resource management, and climate change among others. The necessary expertise He gained from his vast research on cultivating green peas at the centre equipped him with the confidence to launch his project. Armed with KES 15,000, he embarked on a path few recent graduates Contemplate on. “I decided on green peas as I learned that they mature fast and also do well in this region. I initially targeted the December market but this was not possible as I planted late in November,” said Nderitu. He pointed out that peas benefit from the availability of well-drained soil in the area and that moist growth conditions are optimum for producing high yields and high-quality peas. Peas are one of the nutrient-dense leguminous vegetables. They contain Phyto-nutrients, minerals, proteins, vitamins, and antioxidants.
With an investment of KES 1800, he used six kg of seeds per acre. Nderitu claimed that his yield was negatively impacted by his lack of understanding of appropriate agricultural methods because he should have been using about 10 kg per acre. He used a 45-centimetre spacing between plants and a meter between rows. He later recognized that his spacing was not suitable after doing research at the Maarifa Center. He now intends to increase the spacing during the next planting season. Despite the fact that he failed to stake the crops, he later realized the significance of staking for fresh market peas of high grade. He has not been utilizing the appropriate amount of fertilizer because it is expensive, as evidenced by the fact that the two-acre farm only received one bag of DAP. “I have been taking my green peas to Sipili market. I had expected the peas to retail at KES100 per two-kilogram tin but due to oversupply in Sipili, the price is not attractive as a two-kilogram tin currently retails at KES50,” said Nderitu adding that lack of a stable market is a major hindrance.
On a good day, he makes KES1000 by selling 40 kilograms of peas. He is currently looking for substitute markets. Initially, a Nairobi-based buyer had committed to purchasing all of the farm’s products; but, as this process took a while, the farmer decided to start selling the peas to avoid losing their nutritional value. He anticipates continuing to harvest over the upcoming month. A substantial setback has been caused by pests and illnesses, particularly aphids. Despite spraying, the aphids continued to wilt and distort the plants, resulting in smaller and stunted pods and seeds. To get rid of the pests, he had to spray the peas twice. He asserted that it is inaccurate for some young people to believe that farming is outdated and that people who work in agriculture are mostly peasants. “I have learned a lot and I expect that I will be a better farmer during the next season. I realized that embracing new agricultural technologies can go a long way in ensuring that one succeeds as a farmer,” said Nderitu Given the support from the Kenyan government in addressing hurdles faced by young people in agriculture, notably the difficulty of gaining access to financing facilities and markets, Nderitu believes this will encourage more young people to choose agriculture as a career.
With access to financial services, Kairiri Forest Users and Conservation Community Based organization (CBO) in the Timau area of Meru County can deal with crop success after many failures.
In the aftermath of this year’s crop failure, most of the members had considered quitting farming. CBO member productivity and profitability have been increased thanks to Sokopepe support. Sokopepe arranged credit for them through a microfinance institution this season. Sometimes, lack of financial services can be a major issue to many and this has been the story for Kairiri Forest Users and the Conservation Community Based Organization (CBO) in Timau. Sokopepe has been working with the CBO to increase the productivity and profitability of its members and during this season, Sokopepe linked them to a microfinance institution, Times U Sacco Society which enables them to receive credit. This has given its members the opportunity to become part of a few-banked farming society. The Sacco provides loans that are affordable and easy to understand because not forgetting the low-interest rates.
For the past five weeks, the Sacco has been building its members’ financial literacy and understanding, by showing them how to save as much as Kes 200 every week. Already 30 members of this group have paid Kes 200 for registration. Soon these farmers will be eligible for a Kilimo Bora Loan from their Sacco (which is up to 5 times the amount saved). The Kilimo Bora loan attracts a 7.5% interest rate and is paid back after four months. The 74-member CBO is now planning to cultivate a 30-acre farm together. Mr Bernard Mureithi, a Production Information Agent (PIA) at Sokopepe said that FARMIS helps financial institutions know whether farmers are capable of managing risks. He added that farmers would now be able to track all their agribusiness enterprises and expenses for effective use of the Kilimo Bora Loans.
Mr. David Kabuari, a Kairiri Forest user and the Chairman of the Conservation CBO, says that access to credit has always been a challenge. Financial institutions refuse their loans because they lack proper farm records. “Most financial institutions are unwilling to lend to us,” he said. “We’re glad that Sokopepe linked us to a microfinance institution. Now we can access and manage credit.” Sokopepe has been training the CBO on record keeping, best agricultural practices, market information and linkages and conservation agriculture. The training has allowed members to track their agribusiness enterprises and expenses. This will help them when they are able to use Kilimo Bora Loan funds soon.
Mr Mureithi has been visiting the group every week to check on the progress of their crops. He has also been assisting individual members in filling out their farm books. He said that the Sokopepe has helped the CBO members plan their farm enterprises. They are able to know the enterprises that decrease profits. The CBO has been taking care of Timau Forest for 9 years and through this, they are working with the Kenya Forest Service (KFS). They were granted 1.5 acres of land for farming and through this, have helped restore healthy land-use systems. Moreover, the CBO integrated apiculture with other farming activities with their 19 beehives helping to pollinate all the local plants, trees, and crops. This has led to improved yields and environmental conservation.
When Mr Kabuari discussed apiculture, he noted that it also enables them to earn an income from honey and beeswax, pollen, propolis, bee colonies, queen bees, bee brood, and packages of bees. The CBO also owns a tree nursery that produces at least 4,000 indigenous tree seedlings and about 3,000 exotic species. The CBO has not only been planting trees all over Timau Forest, individual farms, educational facilities and government properties but has donated around 3,000 seedlings to Water Resource Users Association (WRUA), schools and hospitals alike. Not forgetting to mention, they are also selling seedlings to individuals whereby exotic trees retail for Kes 10-15 while the more practical indigenous trees sell for Kes 25-50. Difficulty with credit facilities has hampered the productivity of most smallholder farmers. Sokopepe is committed to financial inclusion since that would result in more income for farmers.
The integration of ICT in teaching, learning, assessment and management is on the rise in Kenya. To support this, ALIN in collaboration with the Association for Progressive Communication (APC), deployed and trained 20 teachers, facilitators and Ministry of Education and Teachers Service Commission (TSC) representatives on Remote Area Community Hotspot for Education and Learning (RACHEL) at the Lariak Day Secondary School in Ol-Moran Ward, Laikipia County on December 2, 2021.
RACHEL is a portable plug-and-play server that stores educational websites and makes content available over any local (offline) wireless connection. Any device with a web browser can connect to RACHEL and it is specifically designed for offline teachers, students, and self-guided learners of all ages and those with no internet access due to remote location. During the training, ALIN deployed RACHEL in Lariak Day Secondary School, Mithuri Secondary School, Lariak Primary School, Sipili School for the Deaf and Ng’arua Maarifa Centre. The server is a combination of freely available software and content modules that make it easy to bring online education materials into places with limited or no internet access (virtual library). It has 500 GB of storage and allows up to 50 simultaneous users. The 4 schools and Ng’arua Maarifa Centre will each run on a RACHEL- Plus server which has an 8-hour + battery life and is pre-installed with educational content from KA Lite, Wikipedia for Schools, Moodle, GCF LearnFree.org, PhET, Blockly Games and other educational materials developed by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD). The training also included a session on incorporating RACHEL technology and content into classrooms and how to create, access, reuse and redistribute offline digital content to learners through RACHEL.
Some of the challenges that ALIN is addressing through the project include low connectivity in rural areas which limits young learners’ ability to digitally connect offline; Insufficient awareness among teachers and learners on the importance of Open Educational Resources (OER); Low availability and accessibility of high-quality and openly licensed online educational content; and Underutilization of computer labs and schools’ laptops. ALIN is keen on supporting Open Educational Resources (OER) as this supports the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 which is on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all. Similarly, the promotion of OER supports the implementation of the Ministry of Education Session Paper no 1 of 2019, which among others advocates for the integration of ICT in Education, Training and Research.
In addition, one of the core competencies under the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) is digital literacy which calls for the use of digital devices to create and access information while the National Education Sector Strategic Plan 2018-2022 has called for capacity building of ICT champion teachers in the integration of ICT in teaching, learning, assessment and management. Open Educational Resources (OER) are learning, teaching and research materials in any format and medium that reside in the public domain or are under the copyright that have been released under an open license, that allows users to legally and freely use, copy, adapt, and re-share. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), OER can support quality education that is equitable, inclusive, open and participatory as well as enhance academic freedom and professional autonomy of teachers by widening the scope of materials available for teaching and learning. OER represent a crucial means to support the continuation of learning in both formal and informal settings. They can help meet the needs of individual learners and effectively promote gender equality and incentivize innovative pedagogical, didactical and methodological approaches.
ALIN with support from the Hivos Green and Inclusive Energy Programme implemented a Project dubbed “Increasing awareness of renewable energy technologies and their applications in Kajiado County.” The Project developed the Kajiado County Renewable Energy Atlas, which provides the Kajiado County Government and others stakeholders with high quality, publicly available data on renewable energy resources and also acts as a catalyst to trigger planning and policy development and help attract investors in the renewable energy markets in Kajiado County. The Atlas data is essential for the transition to a clean energy economy that prioritizes local resources, improves resilience and promotes energy independence.
Furthermore, the Atlas also supports the implementation of the Energy Act, 2019 which requires both the National and County Government to collect and maintain energy data, to undertake feasibility studies, and to avail data to developers of energy resources and infrastructure. The Atlas contains maps of borehole distribution in the county, existing and potential solar energy sites in the county, existing and potential wind energy sites (with data about the wind speeds in different parts of the county), existing and potential geothermal energy sites (with data about the geological makeup of different parts of the county), existing and potential hydropower sites, as well as existing and potential biomass sites.
The Atlas is designed as a resource for use by those interested in furthering the production of electricity, heat and fuels from solar, wind, geothermal, hydro and biomass in the county. These include the public, policymakers, advocates, landowners, developers, utility companies and prospectors. Understanding the location and potential of renewable energy resources is, therefore, a crucial pre-requisite to their utilization, and the scale-up of clean and secure sources of electricity generation. A resource map is thus important to help county governments to better coordinate the development of different renewable energy resources. ALIN also organized 7 monthly Non-State Actors Learning and Consultative Forums in Kajiado County.
The monthly forums usually brought together 30 NSAs working on energy access and advocacy on renewable energy to share opportunities, best practices, and experiences and to identify opportunities for collaborative work. The forums helped to strengthen coordination, learning and experience sharing amongst NSAs working on energy access and advocacy on renewable energy. They also facilitated institutional learning, common problem solving, capacity building and networking in the NSA space to promote the adoption of renewable energy in Kajiado County.
Sokopepe, an ALIN initiative emerged the winner in the Agriculture category at the ICT Innovation Awards during the 2016 Connected Summit which began on March 20-23, 2016 at Leisure Lodge Beach and Golf Resort, Diani, Kwale County. The theme for 2016 Connected Summit “Bridging the Service Gap,” explores and identifies gaps that can help achieve universal access to public services and how information technology can improve efficiency in the delivery of government services, simplify compliance with government regulations, strengthen citizen participation and trust in government.
The Award was announced at an event held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Tuesday, August 16, 2011 during the International Federation of Library Associations meeting at a ceremony presided over by Deborah Jacobs, Director of the Global Libraries initiative at the (BMGF). ALIN was recognised for taking advantage of the benefits of ICTs to empower arid lands communities by locating Maarifa (Knowledge) centres in remote arid lands across East Africa and providing free access to information resources, including the internet and library resources. Communities that receive information resources from ALIN have used them to initiate local social enterprises that have improved their livelihoods over the years. The ICT Innovation Awards recognizes innovative ideas that have since grown into some of the most recognizable tech start-ups in Kenya.
The awards highlight innovation that meets Kenya’s blueprint vision to build a vibrant middle-income economy by the year 2030. Since 2011, the award has recognized more than 45 new ICT products and solutions. While receiving the Award on behalf of Sokopepe, Mr. Martin Murangiri, Sokopepe Recruitment, and Training Officer said that the social enterprise set up by the Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN) would continue to support the agricultural sector in Kenya by offering market information and farm records management services . Sokopepe has been piloting two innovations in five sub counties in Meru namely Imenti Central; North Imenti; South Imenti; Buuri and Tigania West. The social enterprise has been using Farm Records Management Information System (FARMIS-Kenya) to support small-scale farmers to develop and nurture a culture of record keeping, SOKO+, a digital commodity trading, and information system, linking small-scale farmers to end retailers/bulk purchasers of produce. Sokopepe has been working with more than 6,000 farmers in the five sub Counties of Meru. It has been expanding the services to all sub-counties in Meru, while working closely with the County Government and other stakeholders.
“Winning the award motivates us to continue working with small-scale farmers by helping them to use accurate primary date that can help empower them to improve their incomes, livelihoods and food security,” said Mr. Murangiri. Speaking at the summit, Joseph Mucheru Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Communications and Technology noted that start-up companies need to bring experience to the table. “Money is not a problem, the structure of companies in Kenya; start-ups and scale-ups cannot absorb big money. Do what you have to do, build value and the investors will come,” said Mucheru. The objectives of the 2016 Connected Summit include identify gaps in public sector service delivery that can be solved by innovative use of ICT; highlight efficiency gaps in public sector IT projects and consider policy recommendations; and share knowledge, best practice and lessons based on experience in implementing ICT projects. The Connected Summit is the brainchild of the ICT Authority in consultation with ICT industry players and key government decision makers. The Summit aims at establishing a platform for collaboration, capacity building, and knowledge sharing between government and the ICT sector with a view of linking and hastening implementation of government IT projects to world-class standards. The Connected Summit has enabled its participants to develop unique insights that allow them to successfully respond and design their engagements in Kenya’s vibrant ICT sector.
