The Climate change training, organized by the Tourism and Natural Resource Management Committee in partnership with KPMG, was held on the 11- 12th of July at L. Naivasha Resort, Nakuru County. The need by County Governments to integrate and mainstream climate change in their plans and programs necessitated the capacity building of the secretariat who support the County Governments.

“Climate change is no child’s play. We only have 15 years to get to the point of no return. This means that very soon, emmissions will drive global temperatures to 1.5 degrees celcius in less than 16 years.” Mr. Evans Kituyi, a climate change expert protested. This only shows how serious climate change is when in reality, very little attention is given to it.

The trainees were enlightened on areas such as climate change and its impacts on economic sectors, achievement of COG towards mainstreaming climate in county development, climate change policies and legislations, mainstreaming climate change considerations into national and county planning, financing climate action through national and international mechanism as well as devolved climate finance and county resilience.

Climate change requires a multi- sectoral approach among the technical committees at the Council of Governors. This has over the years been the challenge as the burden has previously been cast on the NRM committee. Climate change being a cross-cutting phenomenon, the training ensures that all members come on board to ensure that it is mainstreamed in all programs.

Green Climate Fund (GCF) is a fund established within the framework of the UNFCCC as an operating entity of the financial mechanism to assist developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change. This is one such mechanism to help deal with budgetary issues surrounding climate change if well managed. Calls to the Council of governors were made to help source funds from the development partners concerning the same.

As a way forward, it was decided that there should be structured sensitization of committees on climate change, deliberation on addition of climate change agenda on sector work plans, have climate change unit at the COG and a budget for that as well as trainings on the same.