Kenya praised for Affordable Housing and Nairobi Rivers Regeneration Programmes

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki on Saturday said the country continues to work with relevant agencies locally and internationally to ensure the success of the programmes, which are the heart of the government’s agenda.

“The UN agencies have lauded Kenya’s social housing programme for the urban poor in Nairobi and the Nairobi Rivers Regeneration Programme as the two most consequential measures ever taken in the global south to create climate resilience for the urban poor using domestically generated resources,” he said. 

He spoke when he engaged representatives of various UN agencies, including the UN Climate Action Team, UN-Habitat and the secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at the sidelines of the COP 30 Conference in Belem, Brazil.

Prof. Kindiki welcomed the Building Climate Resilience with the Urban Poor (BCRUP) Programme co-led by Kenya and Brazil saying it consolidates efforts to cushion vulnerable urban communities against climate change extremes.

“The initiative seeks to cushion the urban poor against climate shocks including floods, drought, heatwaves, violent winds and landslides, while tackling underlying vulnerabilities such as poverty, limited infrastructure and weak governance frameworks,” DP noted.

During the meeting, the DP appealed for a stronger and coherent role for the UN agencies in providing climate resilience and adaptation solutions for the urban poor, prioritizing financing, technology transfer and capacity building for climate resilience.

The DP also pushed for a United Nations General Assembly resolution on climate resilience for the urban poor and integration of the BCRUP’s principles into COP 30 resolutions.

Prof. Kindiki, who is representing Kenya at the COP 30 Conference, also urged for Kenya to be allowed to report periodically to the UN General Assembly on the initiative’s progress.