Kenya: Kenya Forest Service participated in an inception workshop which was hosted by PARIS21. The initiative was hosted with the focus of supporting climate action in Kenya by using the data that was taken from government agencies.
The authorities want to develop a roadmap for the establishment of a robust Kenyan Climate Change Data Ecosystem. The government of Kenya has been working hard to engage the members of the country into their efforts towards climate action.
The President of Kenya William Ruto also announced the initiative to cover thirty percent of the county’s landmass with trees. The members of the Kenya Forest Service are supporting this mandate of the government thoroughly.
Further, they also understand that the large scale tree plantation initiatives will help in fighting the widespread climate crisis. The workshop has been attended by several experts of the field.
The attendants included,
- Climate change experts
- Scientists
- Statisticians drawn from entities that included the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS)
- Kenya Forest Service
- Kenya Meteorological Department
- The Ministry of Interior and National Administration
- National Environment Management Authority
- The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.
The stakeholders from the other sectors of the Kenyan economy were also present among many other sectors. The members of the community have shared their appreciation to the organization for putting together the workshop.
The attendants highlighted that the country has been on the receiving end of climate emergencies like floods and droughts. These disasters negatively impact the environment and the economy of the country.
Further, the people of the country face many challenges if any natural disasters happen.
In light of these facts, it is important to have access to timely, high-quality data to help in guiding evidence-based actions.
The Fourth Medium Term Plan also highlights the importance of introducing climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts in all sectors. As a result, the organizations need to work on developing frameworks to strengthen climate change data ecosystem.
The officials have to work towards managing challenges like data gaps and coordination issues is essential.
Patricia Kitheka from the Climate Change Division attended the event as a representative of Kenya Forest Service. She talked about the importance of consolidating datasets from various institutions into a robust database. She noted that this would enable faster action, early prediction, and more informed measures to guide adaptation and mitigation policies.