Wajir is among the first counties in Kenya to pass the County Climate Change Fund (CCCF) Act, anchored on the Climate Change Act of Kenya 2016. The CCCF act has seen the county make notable strides in addressing the effects of climate change through concerted efforts by different climate change actors. The County Climate Change Fund (CCCF) approach implemented through stakeholder’s participation ensures that communities can make decisions and prioritize needs through consultative process spearheaded by the Ward Climate Change Planning Committees (WCCPCs) and supported by the County Climate Change Fund structures that also include county technical officers.
Through the CCCF approach, the county government of Wajir implemented fourteen (14) community prioritized adaptation projects in twelve wards at a cost of Kshs. 54 Million in 2016. The projects are currently benefitting 281,696 people. Twelve of the fourteen projects were on the improvement of existing water infrastructure to curb the perennial water shortage in the County. Five water sources were fenced to protect water from contamination and misuse while five others rehabilitated through desilting and expansion to increase storage capacity to prolong the duration of use. This has reduced water stress and by extension water-related conflicts around water points. Two other projects involved the installation of solar panels and hybrid water pumps in the boreholes to utilize solar energy which not only reduces the use of fossil fuels but also ensure optimal use of the boreholes as needed.
The final two projects were mainly on capacity building of WCCPCs through training on natural resource management and awareness creation through the Wajir Community Radio to the general public on the proper use of natural resource governance for sustainability.
The County also developed an elaborate County Climate Information Service (CIS) plan that helps in mainstreaming climate change in her development planning and budgeting system. The plan is aimed at improving dissemination and utilization of climate information for timely decision making for enhanced resilience.
