Kenya

Advancing Climate Change Legislation. With U.S. support, Kenya became one of the first countries in Africa and globally to enact a progressive climate change law, the Climate Change Act 2016. The act establishes a National Climate Change Council and Directorate to coordinate planning and provides a technical foundation for climate change governance and a Climate Change Fund to finance priority actions and help Kenya meet its national climate goals. – 2016

Increasing Access to Clean, Reliable Energy. U.S. energy experts are supporting Kenya’s National Climate Change Action Plan priority of diffusing solar technologies to increase rural access to power grids and clean energy. In 2016, this effort mobilized $13 million in funds through the USAID Development Credit Authority, helped stakeholders draft a policy brief to accelerate the manufacture and distribution of solar lighting kits in the country, and provided technical trainings to promote installation of solar PV (solar lighting kits) and thermal (solar water heaters) technologies to replace kerosene. Laying the groundwork for clean energy will help Kenya curb air pollution, increase energy security, and open new markets for clean energy entrepreneurs. - 2016

Promoting Sustainable Land Use. U.S. forestry experts helped draft a Community Land Bill to protect fragile ecosystems—such as dryland forests and arid and semi-arid rangelands—which have been degraded and burned by the expansion of settlements, agriculture, and livestock in communities across Kenya. Enactment of the bill will enhance land-tenure security and improve the management of degraded communal lands, which will have long-term effects on reducing Kenya’s GHG emissions. - 2015