NAIROBI, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Monday unveiled a 7.37 billion shillings (about 50.6 million U.S. dollars) county climate financing program as it seeks to boost mitigation efforts at the local level.
President William Ruto, who launched the County Climate Resilience Investment (CCRI) Grants issued under the East African nation's Financing Locally Led Climate Action to Counties (FLLoCA) at the ongoing Africa Climate Summit in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, said that the funding will help rural counties, in particular, develop tailored climate resilience strategies.
"This will help to respond to the risks identified by communities in sectors such as agriculture, water, and natural resource management," he said of the World Bank-backed initiative.
Ruto said FLLoCA is dedicated to the delivery of locally-led climate action at the grassroots, which will be implemented in the country's 1,450 administrative units.
"Committees at the grassroots will take charge of planning and development of climate action based on existing needs. This approach identifies communities as agents of change and not only mere victims of climate change, and it provides the use of traditional knowledge in the climate change fight," he added.
He noted that the program is part of Kenya's goal to attain 100 percent use of green energy by 2030 to drive its green industrialization agenda.
Ruto observed that as many other countries, Kenya was undergoing climate stress, but it had focused on opportunities rather than challenges.
"We are looking at the opportunities from the crisis. There is a silver lining, and we have a chance to unlock our renewable assets. That is why we are taking mitigation to every village in Kenya," he said.
Njuguna Ndung'u, the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury, said Kenya is pioneering leadership in financing climate initiatives at the local level.
"Without financial support that helps communities to develop, climate change will push millions into poverty. This initiative makes Kenya an example to other countries so that they can follow suit to support climate programs at the local level," he said. ■