Representatives from different organisations that champion climate change adaptation and advocacy congregated in Migori for a two day forum on matters concerning Devolution and Climate Change.
The forum, which brought together representatives from Civil Societies, Advocacy and Devolution, and Community members involved with Devolution and Climate Change Adaptations (DACCA) discussed the effects and impacts of climate change.
Migori County Deputy Director National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) Mr. Samson Ochwere said that the county should be willing to adopt the whole idea of climate change.
He noted that if climate change effects were ignored, the consequences may be severe not only to the county but the country at large.
The official said that the idea behind the mainstream climate change is real and if the relevant authorities and climate change organisations do not put much consideration to adapt the set policy frameworks like the County Integrated Development Fund (CIDF) and Climate Change Acts, the country may be harshly affected by climate change.
Ochwere urged the county government to act as required by the law under the Climate Change Act to help cushion the Kenyan citizens from the severe effects of global warming.
Governor Okoth Obado in 2021 assented to the Migori County Climate Change Act whose aim was to provide a legal framework for the establishment of the Climate Fund; facilitate and coordinate financing of the Climate Adaptation and Mitigation activities for connected purposes.
Migori County Advocacy and Team Leader Devolution and Climate Change Ms. Velma Oseko said that among the initiatives DACCA has been working towards, is ensuring there is capacity building in order to empower Climate Change Community Based Organisations (CBOs).
Oseko noted that the community members should play a bigger role, especially in the county budgetary participation process in order to propagate and advocate for the inclusion of some of the Climate Change Adaptation Funds Allocations.
She noted that participation in the county affairs was the best way to push for inclusivity of Climate Change mitigation projects and funds.
The Vice Chairperson of the Migori Civil Society Mr. Titus Orwa urged the community to fully participate in the climate change matters so that they could push the county government to act on Climate Change Policies.
The official noted that in the past, Migori County had been operating without the Climate Change Act.
Orwa further noted that so far, the county has a climate Change Policy, Act and a two percent budgetary allocated funds that aimed at addressing the issues of climate change in the county. He, however, called upon the county to avail the climate change funds when needed.
Orwa also noted that the forum developed a memorandum that would be presented to the Migori County Department of Economic and Planning for the inclusion of the third generation CIDP.
“Initially, the climate change has been crosscutting and most of the time the burden is left to the environment department to budget for it. We have decided to go through the major department, that is, the county departments of energy and agriculture to assist the department of environment on budgetary allocation,” stated Owra.
In addition, Migori DACCA Programme Officer Ms. Nancy Maula stressed that the major challenge the organisation was facing in terms of climate change migration was blank projects that could not be assessed nor could it be established if they still existed.
Maula said that major blank project proposals were on issues to do with the establishment of the greenhouses that did not identify the specific set up places.
She said that the only way to address this challenge was to ensure that climate change projects were specifically devolved at ward levels to address the specific needs of each ward.
