County Commissioners trained in strategic preparedness to combat climate change

The training curriculum, co-created with the Kenya School of Government, is set to empower the county commissioners in monitoring and reporting mechanisms for climate change interventions within their respective counties.

Speaking of the initiative, Interior PS Raymond Omollo said the impacts of climate change are unprecedented with climate-induced extreme weather displacing over a quarter of a million people and affecting close to half a million people in the country.

"As such, providing strategic preparedness and a coordination mechanisms to support the efforts of the Ministry of Environment in the nationwide implementation of climate change interventions is key”, Omollo said.

He added that the Interior Ministry through the National Climate Change Security Readiness Programme is committed to training county commissioners and over 15,000 National Government Administrative Officers (NGAOs) on climate change, to empower them in mobilising and supporting climate change interventions including the 15 billion tree campaign.

His counterpart, PS for Climate Change and Forestry Gitonga Mugambi said the collaboration will greatly contribute to the realisation of the initiatives by the government to green the environment and combat climate change effects.

'It is against this backdrop that we are collaborating with other Ministries to ensure seamless coordination and overseeing of tree-planting campaign at the grassroots level, and we are confident that this collaboration with the Ministry of Interior will effectively advance these interventions,” Mugambi said. 

The training is in line with the objective of the National Climate Change Security Readiness Programme to build the capacity of all National Government Administrative Officers for effective participation, stakeholder engagement, and coordination in the government's climate change programs.

The renewed tree planting efforts reflect Kenya’s commitment to achieving the United Nations-recommended minimum of 10 per cent forest cover per country, a target enshrined in national law.