KENYA THE GOVERNANCE & PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMME

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1 KENYA THE GOVERNANCE & PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMME

2 About WWF-Kenya WWF Kenya is an affiliate to World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the world s largest and most experienced organisation dedicated to the conservation of the Earth s natural environment. WWF has presence in more than 100 countries across the world to promote sustainable natural resource management. WWF Kenya shares the spirit of the global WWF network s mission, namely to stop the degradation of the natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. In as such we aim to secure a healthy natural environment that also supports people and growth in Kenya. WWF therefore, recognizes the close links between people and nature, and have since developed social principles and policies to guide these initiatives. The organisation began work in Kenya in 1962 with an initial focus on wildlife conservation. WWF Kenya has since expanded its mandate to encompass management of scarce water resources, conservation of disappearing forests, climate and energy, marine resources under various programmes: Governance and Partnership, Species Conservation, Coastal Kenya and African Rift Lakes (ARL). WWF Kenya

3 Introduction Achieving a sustainable future is currently the world s most urgent and critical agenda as can be testified by the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development by world leaders in Kenya is not an exception. The country is endowed with vast and diverse natural resources including biodiversity, land and unique ecosystems as well as recently confirmed deposits of oil and gas and other extractives. These resources can have transformative effects on the economy through generation of revenue, capital inflows as well as provision ecosystem services that are of vital importance to the various sectors of the Kenyan economy and to communities. However, these benefits are not to be realised by default, as can be attested by the experiences of other resource rich countries. This therefore calls for fundamental shifts in how it governs and manages its natural resources in order to position natural resources as true engines of Kenya s sustainable development. The challenges to sustainable development are manifested in forms such as the conflicts between infrastructure development to meet the needs of Kenya s growing population, economy and sound environmental management. Additional challenges come in the form of governance constraints, social inequalities, corruption, inadequate policy, legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks, varied and often conflicting stakeholder interests and technical capacity gaps in the management of large scale projects, the combination of which result into real risks to economic, social and environmental development of the country. The Constitution of Kenya, various national and global policy and legislative frameworks, and emerging need for application of community based approaches in conservation; among others all provide a basis for addressing natural resource governance related changes in Kenya. Natural resource governance responds to these challenges by addressing interactions within and between structures, processes and traditions that determine how societal power and responsibilities are exercised, how decisions are taken, and how citizens or other stakeholders have their say in the management of natural resources. It addresses the set of standards, institutions frameworks, norms, and processes that frame decision-making and stakeholder engagements in policy development and how its implementation with the aim to respond to the impacts on nature and people. Enshrining good governance principles in natural resource management that include public participation and inclusive decision making processes, sound policy and legislative framework, access to information, transparency, equity, equality and tackling corruption among others are crucial first steps to ensure a balance of power allowing Kenyan citizens to not only hold the government accountable for natural resource wealth that belongs to the country for public good but also contribute to realisation of sustainable development.

4 Scope The Governance and Partnerships programme seeks to address the above challenges and apply WWF s approach of combining field-based conservation projects, policy engagement capacity building and education to create an enabling environment for sustainable development in Kenya. It seeks to address existing gaps in policy and institutional frameworks for natural resource management by working with government, civil society and private sector in promoting enabling environment for efficient management of natural resources for sustainable development at local, national, regional and global levels. The expanded democratic space in the country and devolved governance creates great opportunities to bring about transformational conservation impact at scale in areas of focus. WWF Kenya will thus seek to strengthen its capacity to engage in and influence county, national, regional and global policies and laws through strategic partnerships and relevant stakeholder platforms. The programme engages policy makers, policy implementers, media, think tanks, academia, private sector and civil society with the aim of creating an enabling environment for sustainable development in Kenya through influencing the development and implementation of NRM policies and legislation. The programme also contributes to WWF Kenya s conservation work by building effective and influential partnerships and other collaborative frameworks involving various stakeholders at county, national, regional and global levels to influence and contribute to the institutionalisation of policy changes.

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6 The programme is currently implementing projects with focus on : 1. Policy level engagement 2. Enhancing the capacity of civil society capacity in advocacy 3. Promoting sustainable investments 4. Limiting the adverse impact of oil & gas development and other extractives 5. Promoting the adoption of community based natural resources management approach in conservation. 6. Promoting renewable and clean energy and addressing climate change

7 Programme Strategies Objective 1: to influence key policy and legal frameworks to create an enabling environment for sustainable management of natural resources. 1. Strengthen WWF Kenya s capacity to engage in and influence global, regional, national and county policies and laws. 2. Leverage strategic partnerships to engage in and influence global, regional, national and county natural resources governance. 3. Strengthen stakeholder platforms (civil society organisations, governments, media, legislature, private sector, academia etc.) to influence natural resources governance. 4. Engage in county, national, regional and global policy dialogue platforms, forums and processes to influence the development and implementation of policies that are conducive to sustainable natural resources management and in particular promote the green economy agenda.

8 Objective 2: By 2020, large-scale infrastructure developments in Kenya are influenced to minimise adverse environmental and social impacts. 1. Ensure that WWF Kenya proactively engages (e.g. capacity building) with key actors at multiple levels (local, county, national, regional and international). 2. Ensure environmental and social safeguards are mainstreamed in large-scale investments and in county and national government policies, plans and regulatory followup (e.g. Lamu Port Southern Sudan and Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) programme). 3. Ensure large-scale infrastructure investments are climate smart. 4. Leverage the WWF network to influence financing practices in international financial institutions.

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10 Main achievements of the programme Some of the successes of the programme include (but are not limited to): Catalysing civil society engagement in Kenya by establishing and supporting CSO partners and networks/platforms such as the National Environment Civil Society Alliance of Kenya as well as County Natural Resource Networks. Successfully coordinating the input of the environmental civil society caucus to the Land and Environment Chapter during the drafting of the Constitution of Kenya (2010). Enhancing WWF and civil society engagement and providing lessons for the network through advocacy on constitutional, policy and legal changes through engagement with constitutional commissions and parliamentary bodies. Leading on engagement with government bodies on the National Climate Change Action plan, institutionalisation of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and development of an EIA review guide for communities as key initiatives in the improvement of decision making processes important for sustainable natural resources management. Spearheading innovative clean energy initiatives in Kenya e.g. the Clean Energy Village initiative in Kwale County and the solar powered predator deterrent systems in Kajiado County. Contributing to WWF s advocacy in influencing key global and regional public policy outcomes of importance to the sustainable development such as the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustinable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development, the African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN) and the ICAO led Global Aviation Dialogues. Through the Programme WWF Kenya has an observer seat at Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL), amulti-stakeholder partnership on sustainable energy

11 Establishing partnerships and collaborative frameworks with strategic partners such as ministries, state departments and agencies with specific mandates in the NRM sector for policy advocacy and policy analysis. Such partnerships have been developed with institutions such as the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA), Kenya Investment Authority, Kenya Forest Service (KFS), Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Strathmore University and Environment for Development (EfD), an environmental economics think tank hosted by the School of Economics of the University of Nairobi.

12 THE EXPANDED DEMOCRATIC SPACE IN THE COUNTRY AND DEVOLVED GOVERNANCE CREATES GREAT OPPORTUNITIES TO BRING ABOUT TRANSFORMATIONAL CONSERVATION IMPACT AT SCALE IN AREAS OF FOCUS.

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14 OUR VISION A HEALTHY NATURAL ENVIRONMENT SUPPORTING PEOPLE AND GROWTH IN KENYA Why we are here. To stop the degradation of the planet s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. WWF Kenya.: :. Panda House, Mvuli Road,off Waiyaki way, Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya.P.O. Box , Tel : :. Kenya.info@wwfkenya.org.: :. wwf.panda.org/kenya THE GOVERNANCE & PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMME WWF KENYA