The recent visit to the Turkana region was a reminder of how Africa bears the brunt of climate change compared to other continents.
A recent report by the World Meteorological Organization on the state of the climate in Africa confirms that by 2030, if adequate measures are not taken, up to 118 million poor people will be exposed to drought, floods and extreme heat in Africa.
On average, many African countries lose more than 2.5 percent of their GDP annually due to disasters caused by climate change.
At the same time, many of them are diverting more than nine percent of their budgets to respond to related emergencies.
For example, Kenya has faced severe and recurring climate change-related impacts over the past years, including prolonged droughts, desert locust invasions, floods, and health crises.
In the period 2020-2023, the country witnessed the worst drought in four decades, when five rainy seasons in a row failed. This was confirmed by a recent report issued in May 2024, about floods that left several dead and displaced hundreds of others.
The most affected by these disasters are communities living in arid and semi-arid areas. Year after year, they experienced massive destruction of their livelihoods, pushing them deeper into poverty.
According to a recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), many African countries, such as Kenya, are the least contributors to the greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change, yet they are experiencing the worst impacts.
These impacts have led to a 34 percent decline in agricultural productivity since 1961, a widespread decline in biodiversity, and extreme rainfall variability leading to food insecurity, migration, reduced economic growth, and loss of livelihoods amounting to billions of dollars.
However, the Government of Kenya is now addressing this issue, through the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA), with support from the United States Agency for International Development (Usaid) in partnership with Strathmore University on the Kenya Shock-Responsive Safety Net. System (KSRSNS).
This initiative is a comprehensive strategy that brings together all key actors from the private and public sectors, development partners and other non-state actors to provide effective and timely support to households and communities affected by these climate-related disasters. It is also taking bold steps to address these challenges by developing the KKSRSNS system to protect communities when disasters strike.
Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop and implement strategies to ensure the preservation of lives and livelihoods and the exploitation of arid and semi-arid regions as critical drivers of the Kenyan economy.
Besides, stakeholders’ efforts in creating a long-term strategy like KSRSNS will go a long way in ensuring communities thrive amid climate change threats.
Once developed, the system will be placed within the National Disaster Management Authority, leveraging its existing institutional frameworks, such as the National Drought Emergency Fund and the Kenya Drought Early Warning System.
It will also complement existing social protection programs to ensure that resources reach those most in need during emergencies.
Looking to the future, the KSRSNS is expected to improve disaster prediction and ensure proper coordination among all stakeholders, leading to better emergency response.
As climate change continues to wreak havoc and threaten humanity, urgent and long-term solutions are needed.
This is because Kenya will continue to face climate change and other shocks. KSRSNS represents an important step forward in addressing disasters in the country.
Dr. George Njenga is Head of USAID’s Strategic Partnership Program and former Executive Director of Strathmore University’s Business School
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