President Ruto told to convene climate council to unlock funds

President William Ruto has been urged to convene the National Climate Change Council amid devastating effects of global warming ahead of the COP27 in Egypt this November.

Kenya Climate Change Working Group chairman John Kioli said Kenya should confront the climate crisis to boost food production and secure future generations.

Speaking in Nairobi on Friday, Mr Kioli highlighted the council as an important precursor to receiving adequate climate change funding. "The national government, county governments, civil society organisations and the private sector are not receiving the anticipated funding because the Climate Change Fund is not active," he said.

The National Climate Change Action Plan should be ratified by the Climate Change Council, which has not been convened since the Climate Change Act was enacted in 2016.

Nigeria inaugurated their Climate Change Council on September 28 within a year of enacting their climate change law.

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari asked the council to formulate policies toward achieving green growth and sustainable economic development.

President Buhari said then: "Climate change is complex and dynamic and it requires multi-dimensional and multi-sectoral initiatives to address its impacts and avert its rapid advance." Mr Kioli said if President Ruto convenes the council, it will be a milestone that Kenya can report on during the upcoming COP27 to be held in Egypt from November 6 to 18, 2022.

He also urged the president to declare climate change a national disaster in Kenya. The country has experienced erratic weather patterns that have negatively affected the environment and communities.