The Constitution of Kenya (2010) provided the institutional architecture for delivering climate finance from the national level to the local level through the devolution process. To ensure delivery of climate finance and to enhance climate resilience in ASAL regions, the Adaptation Consortium piloted the County Climate Change Fund (CCCF) mechanism across five counties of Kitui, Isiolo, Makueni, Wajir and Garissa.
By establishing the legal framework (CCCF Acts and Regulations) the CCCF has strengthened and fully mainstreamed climate change into county development planning and budgeting. Across the five counties, the CCCF mechanism has supported the development and strengthening of the County Integrated Development Plans (CIDPs) through citizen participation and improved the CIDPs in terms of social accountability and transparency thus contributing to the agenda of devolved governance in Kenya.
Additionally, the CCCF mechanisms has demonstrated value for money by ensuring relevant and sustainable public good investments are prioritised by communities to build their resilience to climate change. The CCCF mechanism is an example of operationalising ‘bottom-up’ governance, providing considerable learnings for all political decision-making and investment under devolved governance in Kenya.
This policy brief demonstrates how the pilot counties have effectively mainstreamed climate change in a practical and sustainable manner, thereby providing the endorsement for other counties to similarly enact and establish the CCCF mechanism.
