Foreign Aid and SDG 13: A Deep Dive into Climate Action in Kenya

2015 the Paris Agreement marked a watershed moment in the global fight against climate change. Building on years of international negotiations, it aimed to unite developed and developing countries around a common goal: limiting global warming to well below 2°C while pursuing efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C. The agreement recognized that while all countries must contribute to combating climate change, the burden weighs heaviest on developing nations, where resources and infrastructure are often lacking to mitigate and adapt to its effects.

For many African nations, climate change presents a particularly acute challenge. With economies largely reliant on natural resources and agriculture, the impact of changing weather patterns is disproportionately felt across the continent. In response, African countries have started to band together, leveraging platforms like the African Union and key summits to push for more action and funding. The African Climate Summit has emerged as a leading forum, gathering leaders to discuss green growth, climate finance, and sustainable development.

In 2023, Kenya hosted the African Climate Summit, themed "Driving Green Growth and Climate Finance Solutions for Africa and the World." This summit was a timely reminder of Kenya’s central role in the continent’s climate action agenda and, more importantly, its practical examples of leveraging foreign aid to drive climate solutions. The resulting Nairobi Declaration called for African Union Member States and global partners to champion green growth and increase access to climate finance.

Kenya has long been viewed as a leader in climate action on the African continent. The country’s geographic diversity, ranging from fertile agricultural lands to arid regions vulnerable to drought, means that climate change affects all aspects of life and the economy. Recognizing this, Kenya has committed to ambitious goals within the framework of the Paris Agreement, including reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and ramping up adaptation efforts in sectors such as agriculture, energy, and infrastructure.

However, these efforts come at a cost, and Kenya has relied significantly on foreign aid to support its climate ambitions. International partners such as the World Bank, the United Nations, and bilateral donors have provided crucial financial backing to make Kenya’s climate resilience projects possible.

Agriculture is the backbone of Kenya’s economy, employing over 70% of the rural population. However, climate change threatens this critical sector, with increasingly erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts, and extreme weather events becoming the new normal. To counter these challenges, foreign aid has focused on promoting climate-smart agriculture, which aims to improve food security while reducing agriculture’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions.

One of the standout examples is the Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture Project (KCSAP), which the World Bank funds. This project helps Kenyan farmers adapt to climate change by introducing drought-resistant crop varieties, improving water management practices, and supporting sustainable land management techniques. These initiatives are vital for boosting productivity and protecting the livelihoods of millions who depend on agriculture while also ensuring that farming practices in Kenya are sustainable in the long term.

While mitigation efforts like renewable energy are important, adaptation is equally critical for Kenya, where climate change already has a tangible impact on communities. Foreign aid often channeled through multilateral institutions like the Adaptation Fund, has been crucial in helping Kenya implement projects that improve resilience. These initiatives focus on strengthening infrastructure, water resource management, and disaster preparedness, especially in vulnerable regions like the country’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs).

Despite the progress Kenya has made, significant challenges remain. Access to climate finance is still uneven, and bureaucratic hurdles can delay the disbursement of funds. Small-scale farmers and marginalized communities often struggle to access climate finance, limiting their ability to adapt to climate-related changes. Additionally, foreign aid can sometimes be unpredictable, leading to concerns about the long-term sustainability of projects that rely on external funding.

Kenya has also faced criticism for the slow pace of certain climate projects, and concerns have been raised about the inclusivity of some initiatives. Ensuring climate finance reaches the most vulnerable communities will be critical for the country’s success in meeting its climate goals.

Kenya’s climate action strategy will likely focus on deepening partnerships with international donors and private sector players. Private-public partnerships (PPPs), innovative financing mechanisms such as carbon credits, and blended finance are all emerging as potential solutions to help Kenya bridge the climate financing gap. Tapping into these non-traditional funding sources could provide the long-term, scalable solutions Kenya needs to sustain its climate action efforts.

While foreign aid has undoubtedly played an important role in supporting Kenya’s climate action initiatives, it raises an important question: is it a sustainable solution in the long run? Thanks to the generous contributions of international partners, Kenya has made significant progress, particularly in agriculture, renewable energy, and climate adaptation. However, the reliance on foreign aid comes with its own set of challenges; uncertainties around the continuity of funding, dependency risks, and occasional misalignment between donor priorities and local needs.

There is also the question of ownership and self-reliance; can Kenya continue to drive its climate goals forward without external intervention, or is foreign aid perpetuating a dependency cycle?

As Kenya looks ahead, it must find ways to diversify its funding sources, strengthen its climate finance frameworks, and encourage greater local and private sector investment. While foreign aid remains a crucial tool in the fight against climate change, Kenya must also seek to build its internal capacities and explore innovative solutions that ensure long-term sustainability and resilience. Ultimately, foreign aid should be a stepping stone, not a crutch, in Kenya’s climate journey. The real challenge lies in ensuring that Kenya can stand independently in the battle against climate change.