Pastoralists, farmers warned of losses as heavy rains loom

Members of the public view the damage caused flash floods in Mai Mahiu area after a dam in Old Kijabe burst killing 50 people. [Antony Gitonga, Standard]

Pastoralists and farmers have been warned to brace for the loss of livestock, pastures, and crops due to expected heavy rains over the next month, as the full effects of climate change continue to be felt.

According to the Kenya Climate Change Working Group (KCCWG), the most affected were lower parts of the country, which recently lost over 2.5 million livestock to harsh weather conditions.

This came as it emerged that reduced donor funding was hurting efforts to address the full effects of climate change, mainly in rural areas.

This emerged during a sensitisation workshop in Naivasha, where stakeholders affected by climate change are meeting to come up with a position paper ahead of the COP30 in Brazil next month.

The chair, KCCWG John Kioli, noted that the projected heavy rains spelt doom for hundreds of families as this would affect food and pasture production.

He noted that the full effects of climate change were being felt at a time when donor funding was on the decline, despite the Paris commitment to support Africa.

"The weather pattern shows that we are going to get one month of heavy rainfall and that means that in the lower part of the country, we are likely to have less crops and pasture," he said.

Kioli added that one of the main reasons that stakeholders and government officers were going to Brazil was to seek more resources, adaptation and also loss and damage funds.

He added that the country was committed to cutting down emissions by over 35 percent while phasing out thermal power by 2030.

"Over 90 percent of electricity is generated from renewable energy but the challenge is the capital of purchase, like in solar while quality of the solar equipment is an issue," he said.

On her part, Janet Ngombalu, the Country Director, Christian Aid Kenya, said that the forum would be used to make sure voices of the communities affected by climate change were heard.

She said that they could use COP30 in Brazil to make sure that the effects of the impacts of climate change were addressed while seeking lasting solutions and actions.

Ngombalu noted with concern that a lot of funds and commitments from the Paris Agreement and other climate financing processes had been withdrawn over the last year.

"We have also seen a lot of reduction of funding from the various European organizations and the funds have been diverted to focus more on the defense issues," she said.