Kenya is strengthening county governments’ capacity to translate national climate and gender policies into practical action that responds to the needs of communities, particularly women, youth, persons with disabilities, Indigenous communities, and other vulnerable groups.
The State Department for Gender Affairs and Affirmative Action (SDGAAA), with financial support from the NDCP through a Canadian grant, partnered with the Africa Centre for Sustainable and Inclusive Development (Africa CSID) to disseminate the National Gender and Climate Change Action Plan (NGCCAP) across 25 counties while building the capacity of county officials on gender-responsive climate action and disaster risk reduction.
The intervention has significantly strengthened institutional capacity, equipping participants with practical skills to identify gender gaps, design inclusive climate interventions, improve monitoring and reporting, and promote gender-responsive climate governance.
Training assessments demonstrated measurable improvements in knowledge and confidence. During the Lake Region Economic Bloc workshop in Kisumu, participants’ familiarity with the NGCCAP increased from 3.0 to 4.38 out of 5, while their understanding of the different impacts of climate change on women, men, girls, and boys rose from 4.05 to 4.86 out of 5.
The knowledge gained is already informing county planning processes, with participants developing county-specific action plans to integrate NGCCAP priorities into County Integrated Development Plans, Annual Development Plans, climate policies, and sector work plans.
The initiative has also strengthened collaboration among Gender, Environment, Agriculture, Water, Planning, Finance, and Disaster Risk Management departments, alongside closer engagement with civil society.
A key outcome has been the development of guidelines for mainstreaming gender into climate action, jointly owned by the State Department of Gender Affairs and Affirmative Action and the State Department of Environment and Climate Change. Following its launch, the guidelines have received strong stakeholder acceptance, with members of the National Gender Sector Working Group already applying them in their day-to-day work.
The success demonstrates how targeted technical support and capacity building can bridge the gap between policy and implementation, enabling counties to deliver climate action that is more inclusive, equitable, and responsive to the realities of communities.
Written by Ruth Moraa
NDC Partnership, In-country Facilitator