Spotlight shifts to climate in Big 4 plan

President Uhuru Kenyatta addressing Kenyans in a past holiday. [Photo: Courtesy]

The Government will focus on seven strategic areas prone to effects of climate change to help it achieve the Big Four agenda.

According to a new report, the seven key areas encompass food and nutrition security, manufacturing, health, sanitation and human settlement. Others are energy and transport, forestry, tourism and wildlife, water and blue economy as well as disaster risk (drought and floods management).

Environment CS Keriako Tobiko last week received the report from Environment, Natural Resources and Regional Development Authorities PS Charles Sunkuli, Dr Pacifica Ogola and Stephen King’uyu. The three came up with the report.

Mr Tobiko presented the recommendations, contained in the National Climate Change Action Plan, 2018-2022, to President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The report says climate change affects health by an increase in vector-borne diseases (malaria and cholera); housing and manufacturing are negatively affected by damage to infrastructure (homes, businesses, schools and hospitals) caused by flooding and storms.

The Government intends to reduce risks resulting from climate-related disasters such as droughts and floods affecting communities and infrastructure.

It will also increase the number of households and entities benefiting from devolved adaptive services and improve coordination and delivery of disaster risk management to effectively deal with drought, floods, landslides and disease outbreaks.

Under food and nutrition security, the plan proposes enhanced productivity and resilience of the agriculture sector.

Government will also increase the acreage under irrigation and productivity in the livestock and fisheries sectors by implementing priority climate-smart actions.