US$1 M to Strengthen Kenya’s Urban Climate Resilience

By Milliam Murigi

Kenya has secured US$1 million from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to strengthen climate resilience among vulnerable urban populations.

The funding is part of a US$7.6 million regional initiative approved on November 3, 2026, to support 10 African countries in addressing the growing vulnerability of urban communities to climate-related disasters.

Known as the Building Climate Resilience with the Urban Poor (BCRUP) programme, the 36-month initiative will be implemented by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).

The BCRUP programme is structured around five key outcomes, beginning with the identification of climate-vulnerable urban hotspots through mapping at global, national and subnational levels.

The second outcome focuses on developing green climate-resilient urban spatial plans through climate-responsive development frameworks and land-use zoning regulations. These are intended to address unplanned urban expansion and the proliferation of informal settlements.

The third component targets improvements in human settlements and infrastructure through policies and regulations that promote low-carbon emissions, energy efficiency and resilient built environments.

The fourth outcome focuses on developing green urban economies through community adaptation, livelihood strategies and tenure security interventions. Proposed activities include clean energy for cooking, waste-to-energy initiatives, revenue generation, social safety nets and the development of disaster risk management centres.

The fifth outcome seeks to strengthen the urban dimensions of Kenya’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and improve the country’s urban climate database.

NDCs are national climate commitments under the Paris Agreement through which countries outline their strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change.

The other participating countries are Burundi, Ghana, Eswatini, Burkina Faso, the Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Uganda, Gabon and Zimbabwe.

Kenya has also secured a separate US$2.838 million from the Green Climate Fund to accelerate access to climate finance and strengthen the development of a pipeline of climate-related projects.

The second approval, communicated to the National Treasury on November 4, 2026, is under a programme titled Accelerate Climate Finance Access in Kenya through Enhanced Readiness and Pipeline Development.

Unlike the first initiative, which focuses on strengthening the resilience of vulnerable urban communities, the second programme will support Kenya’s institutional capacity to access international climate financing and prepare projects that can attract funding.

The 36-month programme will be implemented by the Republic of Kenya through the National Treasury, acting as the country’s National Designated Authority to the Green Climate Fund.

The funding is expected to strengthen the country’s readiness to identify, prepare and develop climate-related investment proposals, improving its ability to mobilise resources for adaptation and mitigation priorities.

This funding will be used to support the design of the second phase of the Financing Locally Led Climate Action Programme (G-FLLoCA), alongside other national climate initiatives.

Both approvals fall under the GCF’s Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme, which helps developing countries strengthen institutional capacity, climate planning and access to climate finance.