By Obiabin Onukwugha
Kenya has officially launched the Green Climate Fund (GCF)-supported programme aimed at enhancing community resilience and water security in the Upper Athi River Catchment Area (ARCA).
The project, launched at Nairobi Kenya capital city by Musalia Mudavadi, Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, on Thursday, marks a major step in strengthening climate resilience and water security across four counties for the country.
In his keynote address, Dr. Mudavadi said the initiative is designed to strengthen the resilience of communities and increase water security in Kiambu, Machakos, Nairobi and Nyandarua counties, an expansive ecosystem that supports millions of Kenyans, including farmers, pastoralists, industries and urban households.
Dr. Mudavadi said the project demonstrates Kenya’s resolve to confront the global climate crisis while safeguarding water resources and promoting sustainable economic growth for present and future generations, before officially declaring the programme launched.
He noted that the programme aligns with Kenya’s Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement, including the country’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 32 percent by 2032 and scale this up to 35 percent by 2035.
He also emphasized that climate action remains central to Kenya’s Fourth Medium Term Plan (2023–2027) and the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, including ambitious environmental restoration targets such as growing 15 billion trees and restoring degraded landscapes.
Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, Dr. Deborah Barasa, also described the launch as a historic milestone, noting that ARCA is Kenya’s first project to be funded by the Green Climate Fund under the Direct Access Modality.
“This initiative strengthens Kenya’s growing GCF portfolio, which now comprises over 19 projects valued at approximately $292.7 million,” Dr. Barasa said and reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment as a signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, highlighting key national frameworks including the Climate Change Act (2016, amended 2023), the National Climate Change Action Plan and the National Adaptation Plan”.
She added that the project’s focus on sustainable water infrastructure, resilience-building and natural resource management will enable targeted communities to better withstand climate shocks while improving access to quality water.
On his part Principal Secretary for Environment and Climate Change, Dr. Festus Ng’eno, described the initiative as transformative.“We aren’t just launching a project with a long title; we are launching a lifeline for the Upper Athi River Catchment,” he said, noting that the project represents Kenya’s broader commitment to ensuring communities not only endure climate change, but “overcome and thrive in it.”
Dr. Ng’eno underscored the urgency of action, stating that climate change is “not a theoretical threat but our lived reality,” with impacts falling most heavily on rural and vulnerable communities. However, he stressed that Kenya “refuses to be defined by our vulnerabilities” and instead chooses to be defined by ambition.
He added that ARCA exemplifies Kenya’s integrated approach to climate action. “Through ARCA, we are protecting livelihoods, restoring our ecosystems, and opening the door for climate-smart investments. We are proving that we can lower our carbon footprint while simultaneously building a wall of resilience around our farming communities,” he said.
The State Department for Environment and Climate Change, in a post on its X Social Media handle revealed that the project will be implemented by the National Environment Management Authority as the accredited entity, working alongside the Water Resources Authority and the Kenya Meteorological Department.
It will focus on strengthening climate-reresilient water infrastructure, enhancing ecosystem restoration and improving climate information systems in the Upper Athi River Catchment.
