The effects of climate change have shifted from abstract science to lived experience — floods, droughts, heatwaves, failed harvests, and vanishing water sources in recent years.
In Kenya and across East Africa, communities are living the consequences of a warming planet, and the time to act can not be postponed — it’s now.
Climate change is no longer just an environmental issue. It is a security threat, a health risk, and a major obstacle to sustainable development.
As we speak, pastoralists in arid counties are losing entire herds to prolonged drought. In other areas, erratic rains destroy crops or fail to come at all, leaving farmers with empty granaries and children with empty stomachs.
These are not isolated disasters. They are warning signs that we must change the way we manage our environment, our economy, and our politics.
Our forests — once reliable rainmakers — are under siege. Charcoal burning, illegal logging, and encroachment have decimated critical ecosystems like the Mau and Boni forests.
Forest degradation reduces rainfall, disrupts rivers, and increases our vulnerability to landslides and flash floods.
Reforestation efforts have begun in many counties, but without enforcement and community-driven ownership, these campaigns risk becoming seasonal photo-ops.
Moreover, Kenya’s climate response must go hand-in-hand with environmental justice. We must stop viewing poor communities as obstacles to conservation. Instead, we should recognize them as the front-line stewards of our natural resources.
When indigenous knowledge is combined with modern science, we get solutions that are both effective and sustainable. Local communities must be resourced, not displaced, in our climate fight.
Waste management is another environmental blind spot. Overflowing dumpsites in urban centers like Nairobi, Mombasa, and Garissa are not just eyesores — they are health hazards, releasing methane gas and leaching toxins into rivers and soil.
Yet, waste presents an opportunity. With proper investment in recycling, composting, and green jobs, waste can become wealth, especially for unemployed youth.
At the national level, policies exist — from the Climate Change Act to the National Adaptation Plan — but implementation lags.
Climate financing must reach counties, women, and youth-led initiatives. Green technologies, including solar irrigation, clean cookstoves, and smart agriculture, must be made accessible to the very communities most affected by climate shifts.
We also cannot ignore the global context. Africa contributes just 3–4% of global carbon emissions, yet suffers the most.
Developed countries have a historical responsibility to honor their climate pledges — it is time to honor their words and financie adaptation and mitigation in the Global South.
Kenya must continue pushing for climate justice at international forums like COP.
All of us have equal responsibility as the government. Every Kenyan has a role. From separating waste at home, to planting trees, to holding leaders accountable for broken environmental promises — action begins with us.
As a nation and a continent, we face a defining test: will we be overwhelmed by climate change, or will we rise to meet it with bold, inclusive action?
The future of our land, our water, and our children depends on the answer.
Mr. Hamdi Mohamed holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Political Science from the University of Nairobi. He serves as a Clerk Assistant attached to the Departmental Committee on Environment, Forestry and Mining at the National Assembly.
The views expressed are his own. The opinions shared are his alone and do not imply the views of any other entity or individual.
