This project seeks to bridge the gap between research and policy making in climate change in Kenya and to strengthen the links between Kenyan climate policymakers, researchers and think tanks.

The project also seeks to document and disseminate case studies on effective mechanisms for facilitating the use of research evidence in climate change legislation, policy formulation and implementation in Kenya.

Background

Over the past two decades, Kenya has integrated climate change issues into a variety of legal and governance instruments as well as national and sectoral policies and strategies including but not limited to: the Constitution of Kenya (2010); National Environmental Management and Coordination Act (1999); Vision 2030; National Climate Change Response Strategy (NCCRS); National Climate Change Action Plan; etc. While on the one hand this provides ‘prima facie’ evidence that the country’s policy makers are sensitive to, and do make use of research evidence in as far as climate change policy making is concerned, the contradictions, duplications, inefficiencies and ineffectiveness of the entire climate change policy infrastructure would seem to suggest inadequate harnessing or inadequate capacity or mechanisms to effectively research evidence in climate change policy making and implementation in Kenya. It would also seem to suggest poor links between policy makers, think tanks and researchers working on climate change issues in Kenya.

Recognizing the limitations of the scattered and ineffective nature of the climate policy legal, legislative and governance framework, a combination of civil society organizations (i.e. Kenya Climate Change Working Group) and members of Parliament have come together and drafted a Kenya Climate Change Policy Bill to facilitate coherent, integrated and cost-effective climate change policy in Kenya. In 2013, this Draft Bill was approved by Parliament but denied Presidential Assent into law due to lack of sufficient ‘public consultation’, including most notably sufficient consultations with the ‘scientific’/research/expert community that would have addressed some of the challenges that led to the failure of the bill to receive Presidential Assent. Civil society groups, various government ministries and a section of members of parliament have now regrouped and are facilitating a new round of public consultations on the bill, before it is revised and resubmitted to the Kenyan Parliament, and if approved by Parliament, to the President for his Assent or rejection.

The Roundtable

• 4 Roundtables
• 2 Fellows
• 2 Shadow fellows
• 8 policy briefs

Convened under the ‘Chatham House Rules’ on a quarterly basis, the Kenya Climate Science, Technology and Policy Roundtable will bring together leading climate scientists (from natural, social, economic and political sciences perspectives), think tanks and key policymakers (from executive, legislative and judicial branches of government, at both national and county levels) to allow open, frank and free exchange of ideas between policymakers and leading scientists on any aspects of formulating, passing and/or implementing the Kenya Climate Change Policy Bill.

The Roundtable shall provide a mechanism for policy makers to access research evidence for use in policymaking and for researchers and scientists to identify policy issues warranting research evidence and to make that available to relevant policy makers.