Kitui County Government, with support from the Adaptation Consortium, is implementing an innovative approach that enables vulnerable communities through their climate change planning committees access and use climate finance through identifying and prioritizing public good investments that build their resilience to climate change. The approach known as County Climate Change Fund mechanism also supports county governments to deliver on their mandate of achieving sustainable development in the face of a changing climate. This has encouraged a more effective, transparent and accountable planning process, delivering investments that benefit vulnerable communities and represent good value for money. The involvement of the community in prioritising the public good investments is in line with Kenya’s devolution agenda of participatory development, and county governments’ mandate to develop social and economic aspects according to local priorities.
To ensure sustainability, the design and sitting of the adaptation investment are informed by climate information making sure that current and future climate risks are taken into account. Climate information is also used by small holder farmers to make decisions on farm operations including the choice of crop varieties to plant depending on the seasonal outlook as a measure of adapting to climate change. The completed investments include sand dams, earth dams, rock catchment and water piping all aimed at improving community resilience.
This compendium provides information on (location, name, date of implementation, investment cost, description of the situation before and after the intervention, and nature of benefits as reported by the beneficiaries) the 12 public good investments currently benefitting 50,500 people (32,633 direct beneficiaries and 17,867 indirect beneficiaries) in the ten wards of Ikutha, Mutha, Mutito/ Kaliku, Voo/ Kyamatu, Kwa vonza/ Yatta, Kauwi, Migwani,Kiomo/ Kyethani, Tharaka and Ngomeni.
In Kitui County, a Climate Information Service (CIS) plan was also developed. Through its implementation, 1025 climate information service intermediaries have been trained. The intermediaries receive and disseminate climate information across the county through SMS and public barazas. A total of 723,300 people have received climate information through radio, intermediaries, public barazas and extension officers.