By Matilda Atieno
The county government in partnership with European Union through Expertise France organized a stakeholders engagement forum set to carry out Baseline Emission Inventory and Access to Energy Assessment, a project implemented under sustainable Energy Access and Climate Action Plan (SEACAP) across Kisumu.
The assessment is currently carried out in two counties including Nakuru and Kisumu as a benchmark study that will be applicable across the country. The stakeholders are expected to provide technical assistance, activity data and knowledge gaps from the various sectors.
The forum which brought together key actors including county officials, state and non-state stakeholders was graced by the Chief Officer for Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources, Ms. Marylin Yanzar Agwa and SEACAP project coordinator Caroline Sawe.
Ms. Agwa called on the stakeholders to deliberate and cooperatively make decisions on data collection urging that the accurate data will positively impact the entire community in Kisumu. The chief officer affirmed the county government’s commitment to supporting the initiative that is set to run through to 30th June 2021.
The SEACAP project coordinator Caroline Sawe emphasized the project mandate stating the project is aimed at developing robust climate strategies in planning adaptations and mitigations stages.
The county Baseline Emission Inventory (BEI) and Access to Energy Assessment (AEA) spearheaded by UHAI Lake Forum, seeks to identify and prioritize sources of sectoral Green House Gases (GHG), take stock of sectoral GHG emissions to provide data for all sectors to establish long-term emission reduction measures through BEI while AEA seeks to evaluate access to electricity and cooking energy prioritizing on affordable, sustainable and security within households, public and private institutions and business enterprises including Juakali sector in Kisumu.
In an MOU signed between the county government and Expertise France on the 26th of June 2020, the county government committed to developing the SEACAP project supported by the Covenant of Mayors in Sustainable Africa (CoMSSA). The 2-year MOU seeks to provide a road map aimed at reducing GHG emissions within the county.
Being a signatory to the CoMSSA agreement, the county is committed to implementing Kisumu integrated climate and energy actions and has agreed on a long-term vision to tackle 3 targets including, access to energy, climate mitigation and climate adaptation.
CoMSSA is an initiative co-funded by European Union whose aim is to support sub-Sahara African cities in the fight against climate change and ensuring access to sustainable energy.
