Conference of Parties-COP23 in 2017 saw the world gather in Bonn-Germany to discuss how to deal with climate change. On the side of this annual conference, robust discussions and experience sharing by different countries went on for days and one thing was very clear in everybody’s mind: the uncertainty that comes with the ever changing climate makes both the poor and rich countries vulnerable. However, depending on the level of effort and preparedness that goes into planning, countries and communities will either be resilient or vulnerable to climate change.

As a pastoralist from Northern part of Kenya, I grew up experiencing how uncertainty informed pastoralists’ plans and action both individually and collectively. I saw my mother stock hay even in times of abundance. This hay would later be used to feed the small herd traditionally kept around the homestead to provide milk for the young children. The hay was either to be used the first two weeks of the rains when animals are too weak and have got very little to feed on, or in the event of protracted drought to sustain the milk herd around the homestead as the larger herd is moved to far-flung pasture land.

Pastoralist also strategically planned and managed pasture land to be accessed as either wet or dry season grazing and drought reserves. Also, closely related and determining access to a grazing area was the choice of water infrastructure developed in these grazing areas. The infrastructure type (surface water, pan, borehole e.t.c) were carefully picked and developed to either avoid overstay in an area or access before time.

The choice of a borehole and not a pan/dam in a drought reserve meant that entry and exit could be controlled by either opening the borehole to let people in at the right time or close the operation forcing people to exit when it is time to do so. All these simple but well thought out strategies were enforced by traditional resource governance institutions that defined access, user rights among other binding rules and regulations laid down to manage natural resources. These examples show that pastoralist valued the variability that comes with climate thus they were able to plan for different scenarios   (rain or drought).

Today, pastoralist way of managing uncertainty has been disrupted by formal governance system. The once robust traditional governance systems have been rendered dysfunctional if not weakened. Access to and use of available resources is now free and open to all, there is no regard for the traditional governance rules and regulations that existed before. Drought reserves have been made accessible throughout the year even when there is no drought. This means that a few people eat into the community’s strategic reserve leaving many people vulnerable and with little option to survive on.

County Climate Change Fund Mechanism

At one of the COP23 side event dubbed “Delivering money where it matters”, Kenya did not disappoint when it came to sharing the much needed lessons of a successful Devolved Climate Finance (DCF) model being piloted by Arid and Semi- Arid counties of Kenya. The County Climate Change Fund (CCCF) mechanism as being implemented by Adaptation Consortium was applauded by many as it demonstrated how getting climate finance down to the most vulnerable is the most effective and efficient way of building community’s resilience to the changing climate.

The power to decide what the CCCF will fund is vested in the community at the local level, this is because the impact of climate change is usually felt at that level. This therefore means that for counties in Kenya, CCCF approach may be all that is needed to mainstream climate change and align county governments planning and budgeting to communities planning and seasonal calendar in order to improve their resilience.

In Kenya, five counties (Isiolo, Wajir, Makueni, Kitui and Garissa) are currently at different but advanced stages of establishing legal frameworks for setting up County Climate Change Funds. If established, CCCF kitty will not only receive allocation from the county development budget but can also tap into funding from other sources at national, regional and global levels so long as they are able to demonstrate strong fiduciary standards in managing these funds.

 By

Mumina Bonaya

Programme Officer-Adaptation Consortium
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