Nairobi, September 5, 2023:
Experts and stakeholders in climate action in Kenya are now seeking a neat framework for the implementation of Financing a National locally-led climate action program dubbed FLOCCA, in Kenya.
The Stakeholders from across the country who convened at a National Conference organized by PACJA to provide space for the exchange of experiences, share perspectives learning, and scale up on practical lessons and challenges faced by communities, governments, and funders in promoting locally-led climate action, with a specific focus on the Financing Locally-Led Climate Action (FLOCCA) Programme in Kenya.
Mithika Mwenda, Executive Director, PACJA, stressed that no one should be left behind in the participatory process of the programme.
“There must be a neat protocol to be followed and ensure communities have access to the funding which should enable them to address the impacts of climate change,” Mwendwa said.
Participants explored challenges in ensuring the fund flow is well channeled as stipulated and questioned on accountability and transparency are duly respected to ensure that the community has access to the locally-led climate action.
Susan Otieno, Executive Director, ActionAid shed light on the need for transparency and accountability and insisted on the need for the inclusion of youth, women marginalized and indigenous communities in the process of implementation of the FLLOCCA Program noting the principle of human rights and equal participation.
The Chair of the Council of Governors Environment and Climate Change Committee and Governor of Vihiga County highlighted the significance of inclusive climate change laws to ensure smooth implementation and the role of counties in contributing to Locally-led Climate action instead of waiting for support from foreign funders.
“Climate change is global, but climate action must be local,” stated Wilber Otichillo, the governor of Vihiga County.
The structure of the framework in question was also mentioned by the president of the Republic of Kenya, Dr William Ruto during the FLLOCA check handover at the start of the Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi.
“The FLLOCA program design provides a bold and innovative, bottom-up decentralization of climate financing, as well as decision-making, thereby empowering the lowest units, which are the grassroot level communities in each of Kenya’s 1450 wards, to take charge of the processes of identification, planning, and implementation of climate action, based on the existing climate risk,” the head of state said.
Since it was launched in 2021, the FLLOCA program with components namely: policy, legal, and regulatory Framework for climate change; capacity building, decentralized financing, community-led actions technology and innovation, measuring climate results, and climate-related emerging Issues. The program has successfully disbursed Ksh979 million under the county Climate institutional support grants to 45 and 44 counties respectively. The program is present in all 47 counties.
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