Democracy, Climate Justice and Public Education for All Programme, Kilifi County

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 3^rd 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.