Empowering Tana River County Communities through Inclusive Climate Action

Highlight 1: Community members urged that an additional 2% of the County’s equitable share be allocated to climate resilience projects, specifically for drilling boreholes and constructing bridges to prevent infrastructure damage caused by recurrent floods, such as along Lamu Road. This would supplement the 2.5% allocation of the county’s development budget already dedicated to climate change mitigation and adaptation. They emphasized the need to reprioritize these funds based on community and stakeholder recommendations to enhance long-term climate adaptation and infrastructure resilience.

Highlight 2: According to research conducted by GNI in collaboration with the Government of Kenya, on average, only 3.3% of the cumulative government budget is spent on climate-related expenditure with a chunk of it going to renewable energy. This investment is way below the threshold of achieving Kenya’s ‘Vision 2030’ that integrates climate action as a key enabler of sustainable development.

 

Introduction

In Tana River County, Kenya—a region acutely vulnerable to climate change impacts like recurrent droughts, erratic rainfall, and diminishing biodiversity—communities are rewriting the narrative of resilience. Faced with escalating environmental pressures, a grassroots-driven climate action initiative emerged, blending indigenous knowledge with innovative low-tech solutions to empower local stakeholders. This case study explores how collaborative efforts, anchored in participatory design and accessible technology, are not only mitigating climate risks but also fostering socio-ecological resilience in one of Kenya’s most climate-threatened landscapes. By prioritizing inclusivity and leveraging tools already embedded in daily life, the project offered a replicable blueprint for turning vulnerability into agency in marginalized regions worldwide.

The Climate Action Project in Tana River County, Kenya, (Phase 2) spearheaded by Ushahidi in collaboration with the National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) and the Association of Kenya Community Radio Operators (AKCMO), has been a groundbreaking initiative addressing Tana River’s acute climate vulnerabilities. Supported by GIZ (Kenya), the project sought to enhance climate resilience through participatory data collection, community engagement, and the development of actionable strategies to mitigate the impacts of climate change in the sub-counties of Garsen, Galole, and Bura.

The project prioritized inclusive participation by adopting the Ushahidi Platform, a low-tech tool enabling residents to share insights via SMS and WhatsApp. To ensure relevance and accessibility, Ushahidi initiated the process with an information-gathering session, collaborating with community stakeholders to identify critical data points and determine the most effective communication channels. Following this consultation, SMS and WhatsApp emerged as the preferred methods. These channels were selected for their simplicity: short codes (typically 4 digits) are easier to recall than standard phone numbers and can handle high message volumes efficiently. To operationalize this, Ushahidi partnered with telecommunication providers Safaricom and Meta to secure a dedicated short code and share surveys on WhatsApp. Critically, all communication was zero-rated, meaning users incurred no costs when submitting feedback. This intentional design choice eliminated financial barriers, ensuring equitable access while leveraging familiar, low-tech solutions already integrated into the community’s daily practices. By aligning technology with local habits and needs, the project fostered widespread engagement and reliable data collection, reaching over 4000 Tana River residents.

In March 2024, discovery sessions were conducted in the sub-counties of Hola, Garsen, and Bura to engage a wide spectrum of community members, including women, persons with disabilities, community leaders, and youth. These sessions aimed to ensure that the voices of diverse stakeholders were incorporated into the design of the data collection survey to be administered through the Ushahidi Platform. An interpreter was present to facilitate inclusivity to ensure that persons with disabilities could fully participate and contribute their insights. The discovery sessions served as an opportunity to introduce the project, its goals, and its focus on addressing climate-related challenges in Tana River County.

 

The insights from the discovery were further instrumental in shaping the design of the project. The project employed a multi-faceted approach informed by the sessions that included:

• Community Surveys: Data was gathered from over 4,000 residents through SMS, WhatsApp, and face-to-face interviews, ensuring accessibility in both Swahili and English​.
• Stakeholder Validation Meetings: To validate the findings, follow-up sessions were held with local authorities and community groups, incorporating real-time feedback to enhance the accuracy and relevance of the data​.
• Engagement of Data Champions: Local data champions facilitated community interactions and data collection, fostering trust and participation among community members.

 

Key Insights and Findings

 

Community Knowledge and Perception of Climate Change

• About 88% of respondents are aware of climate change but have varying levels of understanding.
• About 70% of the respondents believe that the primary cause of climate change is human activities mainly cutting down trees for charcoal burning and pollution.
• About 90% of the respondents ​​believe climate change is affecting them and fear that it will have more severe effects in the future.
• Many believe their voices can influence decisions but lack clear reporting channels.

 

Climate Change Impacts

• Tana River County faces escalating climate crises, including prolonged droughts and seasonal floods, which disrupt ecosystems and livelihoods. Recurrent droughts have depleted traditional water sources, forcing reliance on costly water trucking services and worsening food insecurity through crop failures and livestock deaths. Concurrently, floods along the Tana River destroy homes, infrastructure, and farms, displacing communities and isolating vulnerable populations during crises.
• The invasive Mathenge tree (Prosopis juliflora), introduced to combat desertification, now exacerbates ecological degradation by draining soil nutrients and water, reducing agricultural productivity, and spurring deforestation through charcoal production.
• Climate shocks disproportionately impact residents reliant on climate-sensitive livelihoods like farming and pastoralism, leading to income loss, malnutrition, and heightened health risks. Flooding triggers cholera outbreaks, while drought-driven water scarcity intensifies waterborne diseases. Healthcare systems are strained by rising malnutrition rates, particularly among children.
• Vulnerable Groups such as PWDs, face mobility barriers and exclusion from decision-making, limiting access to emergency aid, while women bear the burden of water collection and suffer agricultural losses, deepening economic instability. Youth also lack opportunities for resilience-building employment, driving calls for training and alternative livelihoods.

 

Key Insights on Climate Adaptability

• Traditional Knowledge and Practices: Many community members rely on indigenous knowledge to manage climate variability. Practices such as rotational grazing and traditional water conservation methods were highlighted as effective, though increasingly strained by the intensifying impacts of climate change.
• Social Cohesion as a Resilience Factor: Strong community networks were identified as a key element of resilience. During periods of crisis, mutual support systems, such as pooling resources and informal information-sharing networks, helped mitigate the worst impacts of climate events.
• Barriers to Adaptability: Challenges such as limited access to financial resources, inadequate infrastructure, and a lack of technical knowledge hinder the community’s ability to implement adaptive strategies effectively. These barriers exacerbate vulnerabilities and highlight the need for external support to complement local efforts.

 

Community Recommendations

 

Response Measures

• Rainwater Harvesting and Boreholes: Community members stressed the urgency of installing boreholes and rainwater harvesting systems, particularly in drought-prone areas. These systems would provide reliable access to water during dry spells and reduce dependence on expensive water trucking services​.
• Enhanced Early Warning Communication: Local radio, social media platforms (e.g., WhatsApp), and SMS alerts were recommended to disseminate timely and accurate information on floods, droughts, and other impending climate events tailored to suit the community's linguistic and cultural contexts​.
• Community Rescue Teams: Local leaders proposed forming community-based rescue teams trained in disaster preparedness and equipped with basic resources to assist during emergencies. These teams would coordinate evacuation efforts and provide immediate support to affected households during floods​.

 

Adaptation Measures

• Irrigation for Farming: Community members recommended implementing small-scale irrigation systems to support farmers and reduce dependency on rain-fed agriculture. This approach would increase agricultural productivity and improve food security in areas severely affected by erratic rainfall​.
• Youth Training and Alternative Businesses: To diversify income sources, training programs for youth on climate-smart business activities such as eco-tourism, digital services, green entrepreneurship (e.g., waste recycling, organic farming, or agroforestry), and value-added agriculture would help communities cope with changing climate conditions. These programs aim to reduce reliance on environmentally damaging activities like charcoal production and encourage sustainable practices.
• Support for Solar and Briquette Production: Expanding access to affordable solar energy solutions and eco-friendly cooking fuels like briquettes was proposed. These initiatives would reduce deforestation and environmental degradation while providing alternative livelihoods for women and youth​.

 

Mitigation Measures

• Mathenge Control and Indigenous Reforestation: The community strongly advocated for collaborative efforts with NGOs and government agencies to control the spread of the invasive Mathenge tree (Prosopis juliflora). This would involve removing Mathenge and replacing it with indigenous tree species that support biodiversity and improve soil health. Reforestation initiatives would also help sequester carbon and restore degraded land​.
• Agroforestry Practices: Combining agricultural activities with tree planting was recommended to improve soil fertility, reduce erosion, and enhance crop yields. Agroforestry could serve as a sustainable solution to land degradation in the region​.

 

Policy Recommendations and Integration

• Alignment with County Climate Policies: Local officials emphasized the importance of integrating the project findings into existing county-level policies and frameworks, such as the County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP) and the County Climate Change Action Plan. This alignment ensures that the project outputs directly inform policy decisions and enhance climate resilience at the local level​.
• Focus Areas for Policy Development: Stakeholders proposed prioritizing infrastructure improvements, such as flood defenses and irrigation systems, alongside expanding social safety nets, including healthcare and financial assistance for vulnerable groups. They also highlighted the need to institutionalize alternative livelihood programs to reduce dependency on climate-sensitive activities​.
• Commitment to Disaster Preparedness Funding: Community members advocated for the allocation of at least 2% of the county’s equitable share toward disaster preparedness initiatives. This funding would support critical interventions, such as drilling boreholes to mitigate water scarcity, constructing emergency shelters in flood-prone areas, and enhancing early warning systems​.
• Collaborative Budgeting: Local government officials acknowledged the need for transparent and inclusive budgeting processes that incorporate community priorities. They committed to exploring partnerships with development agencies to supplement county resources and ensure the timely implementation of recommended interventions​.
• Community Representation in Decision-Making: Stakeholders highlighted the need for strengthening Ward Climate Change Committees to ensure that marginalized groups, such as women, youth, and persons with disabilities, are adequately represented in governance processes. These committees were identified as key platforms for coordinating local climate action and fostering accountability​.
• Capacity Building for Local Leaders: Training sessions for local leaders were proposed to enhance their understanding of climate risks and equip them with the skills to manage disaster response and resource allocation more effectively​.

 

Conclusion and Next Steps

The Climate Action Project in Tana River County successfully engaged local communities and stakeholders to co-create data-driven solutions for climate resilience. The collaborative approach emphasized inclusivity and the integration of indigenous knowledge, enabling the development of strategies that address both immediate and long-term climate challenges.

Key achievements include:

• Identifying critical risks through climate risk maps for Garsen, Galole, and Bura.

Climate risk map for Garsen, Galole, and Bura sub-counties

 

• Empowering communities with knowledge and tools to respond to and adapt to climate impacts.
• Providing actionable recommendations for climate action such as water resource management, conflict resolution, and livelihood diversification.

 

Moving forward, the project proposes:

• Scaling Successful Interventions: Expanding water harvesting systems, reforestation efforts, and alternative livelihood programs across the region.
• Enhancing Community Resilience: Supporting the formation of inclusive disaster preparedness teams and promoting climate-smart agricultural practices.
• Strengthening Partnerships: Deepening collaborations between county governments, NGOs, and local communities to implement proposed solutions.
• Monitoring and Adaptation: Establishing periodic monitoring frameworks to assess progress and refine strategies as necessary.

 

The Climate Action Project provides a replicable model for other climate-vulnerable regions, demonstrating the power of inclusive, community-driven approaches to building resilience against climate change. By prioritizing local voices and leveraging partnerships, Tana River County is well-positioned to confront its climate challenges and secure a sustainable future for its residents.