UK PACT supports Kenya’s low-carbon and inclusive green growth ambition with £3.7m funding

The Kenya-UK Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (Kenya-UK PACT) programme is delighted to announce that eight transformational projects have been awarded £3.7 million. These projects will support Kenya’s transition to low-carbon, climate-resilient growth.

In the energy sector, UK PACT will be contributing to clean energy transitions and the development of off-grid community renewable energy sources through six projects. This will involve working closely with national government, counties and communities to ensure the transition is equitable and leads to the creation of green jobs.

In the nature-based solutions sector, UK PACT is supporting two projects. Both projects will support sustainable livelihood opportunities within landscape restoration. Additionally, one of the projects will focus on developing capacities for climate monitoring, reporting and verification.

The projects address the capacity-building needs of national, provincial and municipal government stakeholders. They will be implemented by a range of local and international organisations from the private and non-governmental sector, civil society and academia. All of the new UK PACT projects in Kenya support the UK COP26 Presidency objectives of accelerating a global transition to clean power that benefits jobs, workers, and communities and of protecting and restoring nature for the benefit of people and climate.

UK PACT energy sector projects:

• Ricardo AEA will work with Baringo, Migori and Tana River county governments, developing bottom-up, decentralised approaches to improve electricity planning and promoting investment into low-carbon electricity generation.
• IIED will develop inclusive, cross-sectoral energy projects with Kitui County which demonstrate how County Energy Plans can drive the development of low-carbon power to serve priority economic sectors.
• KPMG will work with the Ministry of Energy to develop an off-grid solar electrification programme to detail the methodology, activities and budgets required towards achieving universal access to electricity through standalone solar systems.
• Strathmore University will work collaboratively with the Narok county government to develop a data-driven energy plan to increase access to clean energy.
• The University of Birmingham project will design and demonstrate community cooling hubs to affordably meet a portfolio of rural community cooling needs, including food, health, and human comfort, whilst reducing emissions.
• The University of Edinburgh will co-design mini-grid energy models with selected rural communities to provide access to sustainable and affordable energy supplies from multiple local renewable energy sources.

• World Agroforestry (ICRAF) will co-design locally relevant forestry restoration practices that work alongside crop and livestock farming systems, while enabling a national task force to monitor, report and verify (MRV) restoration outcomes.
• WWF will build on the Kaptagat integrated landscape restoration plan by training communities in agroforestry and climate-smart agricultural practices, providing employment and subsistence alternatives to unsustainable forest management practices.

This project portfolio will support a green, clean and resilient recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic in Kenya and the aims of COP26, hosted by the UK in Glasgow this November, accelerating action to rise to the challenges of climate change.

UK PACT is a £70m flagship programme funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). It is part of the UK’s £11.6bn International Climate Finance commitment between 2021/22 and 2025/26, which is the UK’s primary international instrument to help deliver on the Paris Climate Agreement goals. It is one of the vital tools we are deploying to tackle climate change internationally and support the UK's COP26 Presidency objectives.

Through its grants, UK PACT aims to improve the capacity and capability of key public, private and civil society institutions to reduce emissions and foster inclusive economic growth in partner countries, including Kenya. Read more about the Kenya-UK PACT portfolio on our web page.

ENDS

Full list of projects and implementing partners delivering the projects in Kenya: