UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Initiative

Please download the PEI Country fact sheet on Kenya (PDF)

BASIC FACTS ABOUT PEI KENYA

Timescale: Phase I (2005–2010) Phase II (2011–2013).

Partners: The Ministry of Planning, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MENR), the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, the Ministry of Local Government and sector ministries including Agriculture, Livestock Development, and Fisheries as well as the National Environment Management Authority, the MDGs Unit and the Kenyan National Bureau of Statistics.

Focus: Support the acceleration of productivity and growth, through the mainstreaming of poverty and environment links into the strategic planning processes and budgets.

Budget: $1,950,000 ($1,200,000 (PEI), $400,000 (UNDP Country Office) and $350,000 (Cash: $ 87,500 and kind: $262,500 from the government). Parallel co-funding managed by PEI $171,350 (Montreal protocol: $120,000 and Green Economy: $51,350). Parallel co-funding not managed by PEI $431,000 (AAP Japan: $300,000, EU: $100,000 and UN Habitat: $31,000).

MAINSTREAMING CONTEXT

Ecosystem dependent activities such as agriculture, fisheries, mining, forestry and tourism are the economic backbone of Kenya’s economy. In the same time, the rate of biodiversity loss has increased, water is chronically scarce and the forest cover is diminishing due to high dependence on biomass. Pollution as well as inadequate access to sanitation are further serious environmental and health related hazards.

The Government recognizes the importance of the environment in achieving development and poverty reduction goals in its 2007 Environment Policy, the Kenyan Medium-Term Plan (2008-2012) and Vision 2030 which seeks to create a just, cohesive and equitable social development in a clean and secure environment.

MAIN ACTIVITIES

Launch case studies on poverty-environment linkages to feed into national level stakeholder dialogue on P-E issues and to support the Ministry of Planning to raise awareness and build capacity around the topic among other stakeholders.

Support capacity development of planners, economists and senior technical staff in key sector ministries on environmental economics and green accounting as well as support to strengthen the national system of accounts.

Develop planning and implementation guidelines for P-E integration into sector, district and county plans and budgets.

Raise awareness on sustainable natural resource utilization and poverty reduction at community level and provide training in participatory environmental action planning.

Strengthen the capacity to report and monitor poverty-environment components of district development plans.

A C H I E V E M E N T S

Strengthened understanding of P-E linkages among the ministries, institutions and other stakeholders as a result of the numerous poverty-environment studies carried out with PEI support. An indicator of this is
that PEI’s contribution was sought in the Vision 2030 process.

Improved capacity to integrate P-E issues in key planning frameworks for poverty reduction and growth and in relevant sector policies, district development plans, implementation processes and budgets. MENR
have e.g. developed, with the support of PEI, an environment policy that reflects cross-sector povertyenvironment linkages and implementation strategies.

Strengthened national capacity in economic valuation of environment and natural resources and integrated assessment methods.

Improved elaboration of District Environment Action Plans and District Development Plans which have served to raise the profile of environmental services and natural resource management in district planning processes and the need for multi-sector planning.

P-E indicators integrated into national and district planning and monitoring systems, leading to a review of national indicators for monitoring the implementation of Kenya’s Vision 2030.

Improved collaboration and understanding between environment, planning/finance agencies and key donors on P-E mainstreaming and improved donor-stakeholder coordination and donor harmonization.

L E S S O N S L E A R N E D

It is important to demonstrate the links between P-E at the national levels in a language familiar to planners and policy makers in order to effectively influence sector plans and budgeting processes.

Restrained government capacity at subnational planning level needs to be addressed in order to move the mainstreaming processes forward.

With limited time and financial resources, there is a need to have a clear program focus and prioritize activities linked to on-going national and sector priorities and policy implementation.

WA Y F O RWA R D

Strengthen national ownership by including a broader range of stakeholders and integrate PEI Kenya’s interventions better with the activities of the Ministry of Planning, National Development and Vision 2030 including the MDG Support Program.

Continue capacity development at sector level and support to the planning and budgeting processes. This includes strengthening capacity in economic valuation and assessment methods by training economists and planners in key sector ministries in environmental economics, supporting a comprehensive economic assessment and valuations of key ecosystems and key sectors as well as strengthening the national system of accounts to include environmental resources.