Related documents
- Is amended by 24th Annual Supplement

LAWS OF KENYA
CLIMATE CHANGE ACT
CAP. 387A
- Published in Kenya Gazette Vol. CXVIII—No. 52 on 13 May 2016
- Assented to on 6 May 2016
- Commenced on 27 May 2016
- [Revised by 24th Annual Supplement (Legal Notice 221 of 2023) on 31 December 2022]
- [Amended by The Climate Change (Amendment) Act, 2023 (Act No. 9 of 2023) on 15 September 2023]
Part I – PRELIMINARY
1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Climate Change Act.2. Interpretation
In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires—"adaptation" means adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli or their effects which moderates harm or exploits beneficial opportunities;“aggregate earnings” means the total of all income in a carbon project without adjustment for inflation, taxation or types of double counting;"all levels of government" means all departments and agencies of the national and county governments;"Authority" means the National Environmental Management Authority established by the Environmental Management and Coordination Act (Cap. 387) or its successor legislation;"Cabinet Secretary" means the Cabinet Secretary of the Ministry for the time being responsible for matters relating to climate change;“carbon budget” means the approved quantity of greenhouse gas emission that is acceptable over a specified time and shall be informed by the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory and guide on emission reduction allocation for Nationally Determined Contributions or any other use consistent with the Conference of the Parties serving at the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement guidance, rules, modalities and procedures;“carbon credits” means a credit created when the equivalent of one metric tonne of carbon dioxide is prevented from entering the atmosphere and is equal to one tonne of carbon dioxide or the equivalent amount of a different greenhouse gas reduced, sequestered, or avoided;“carbon market” means a mechanism that enables and allows public and private entities to transfer and transact emission reduction units, mitigation outcomes or offsets generated through carbon initiatives, products, programmes and projects subject to compliance of national and international laws;“carbon projects” means interventions including programs, projects, and products designed to remove, reduce, sequester or avoid carbon emissions;"carbon offset” means a reduction or removal of emissions of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases made in order to compensate with equivalent number of emissions for emissions made elsewhere;"carbon standards" means a complete set of established rules, procedures, and methodologies that guide on the generation and issuance of certified carbon credits;"climate change" means a change in the climate system which is caused by significant changes in the concentration of greenhouse gases as a consequence of human activities and which is in addition to natural climate change that has been observed during a considerable period;"climate change duties" means the statutory obligations conferred on public and private entities to implement climate change actions consistent with the national goal of low carbon climate resilient development;"climate change resilience" means the capability to maintain competent function and return to some normal range of function even when faced with adverse impact of climate change;"climate change secretariat" means the secretariat established by the Public Service Commission to coordinate climate change mitigation and adaptation actions and interventions;"climate finance" means monies available for or mobilized by government or non-government entities to finance climate change mitigation and adaptation actions and interventions;“community” means a consciously distinct and organized group of users of community land who are citizens of Kenya and share any of the following attributes—(a)common ancestry;(b)similar culture or unique mode of livelihood;(c)socio-economic or other similar common interest;(d)geographical space;(e)ecological space; or(f)ethnicity.“corresponding adjustment” means the deduction of verified emission reductions by the Host Party and addition of the corresponding amount of verified emission reductions by the Receiving Party, whereas such reductions will not count against the Host Party’s Nationally Determined Contributions and shall count towards the acquiring Party’s Nationally Determined Contributions;"Council" means the National Climate Change Council established under section 5;"county executive committee member" means the county executive committee member for the time being responsible for matters relating to climate change;“Designated National Authority” means the entity or organization granted the responsibility to authorize and approve participation in projects under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change;"emissions", in relation to a greenhouse gas, means emissions of that gas into the atmosphere where the emissions are attributable to human activity;"Fund" means the Climate Change Fund established under section 25;"greenhouse gas" includes but is not limited to—(a)carbon dioxide;(b)methane;(c)nitrous oxide;(d)hydrofluorocarbons;(e)perfluorocarbons;(f)sulphur hexafluoride; and(g)indirect greenhouse gases;"intergenerational" means with reference to equity among present and future generations and equity in the present generation;“Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes” means real, additional and verified reduction in greenhouse gas emissions or removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, measured in tC02eq and representing one tC02eq per methodologies approved under the Paris Agreement Rules and generated by a specific mitigation activity from 2021 onwards;“internationally recognized entity” means any entity that is accredited under an established set of rules as properly constituted to oversee a carbon market;"mainstreaming" means the integration of climate change actions into decision making and implementation of functions by the sector ministries, state corporations and county governments;"mitigation" means efforts that seek to prevent or slow down the increase of atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations by limiting current or future emissions and enhancing potential sinks for greenhouse gases;"mitigation outcomes” means reductions in greenhouse gas emissions with global warming potential equivalent to one tonne of carbon dioxide that has been measured and verified in accordance with the Standards;“National Carbon Registry” means the Carbon Registry established under section 23G;“nature-based solutions” means actions that protect, sustainably manage, or restore natural ecosystems, that address societal challenges such as climate change, human health, food and water security, and disaster risk reduction effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits;“non-market approaches” means approaches that aim at promoting mitigation and adaptation ambition, enhancing public and private sector participation in the implementation of nationally determined contributions; and enabling opportunities for coordination across instruments and relevant institutional arrangements;“Paris Agreement” means the Paris Agreement on Climate Change adopted by the Conference of the Parties at its 21st session in Paris in 2015;"project proponent" means an entity legally responsible for carrying out a specific project;"public entity" means body or person with functions of a public nature;"private entity" means a body or person with functions of a private nature, and includes bodies registered under the Non-Governmental Organizations Co-ordination Act (Cap. 134);"recognized credible international body” means any entity that is tasked with accreditation of an internationally recognized entity;“Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation” means activities in the forest sector that reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, as well as the sustainable management of forests and the conservation and enhancement of forest carbon stocks at national and sub national levels;"recycling", in relation to any waste, includes recovery and re-use whether or not the waste is subjected to any process and cognate expressions are to be construed accordingly;“share of proceeds” means levies from activities under the Paris Agreement that are used to cover administrative expenses as well as assisting developing country Parties that are vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change to meet the costs of adaptation;“stakeholder” means a person, business, community or organization that has an interest in or is affected by the activities of carbon projects and the results those actions produce;“State Party” means a Country that has ratified the Paris Agreement on Climate Change;“technology” means technologies used to reduce greenhouse gases and to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change;“tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tC02eq)” means an amount of carbon dioxide emission measured in metric tonnes would cause the same integrated radiative forcing or temperature change, over a given time horizon, as an emitted amount of a greenhouse gas or a mixture of greenhouse gases;“voluntary carbon market” means a market where private investors, governments, non-governmental organizations, and businesses voluntarily buy and sell carbon credits that represent certified emissions removals or reductions of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere;“whitelist” means a non-binding, non-exhaustive periodic list of activities or technologies that can deliver mitigation outcomes as provided for in the Nationally Determined Contributions and that are preferred by the Government of Kenya for Article 6.2 bilateral cooperation; and"waste" has the meaning assigned to it in section 2 of the Environmental Management and Co-ordination Act (Cap. 387).[Act No. 9 of 2023, s. 2.]3. Objects and purposes
4. Guiding values and principles
Part II – POLICY, CO-ORDINATION AND OVERSIGHT
5. Establishment of the Climate Change Council
6. Functions of the Council
The Council shall provide an overarching national climate change co-ordination mechanism and shall—7. Members of the Council
8. Powers and duties of the Cabinet Secretary
9. Climate Change Directorate
10. Seal of the Council
11. Delegation of powers by the Council
Subject to the provisions of this Act, the Council may, either generally or in a particular case, delegate to any committee or to any member of the Council or officer or agent of the Council, the exercise of any of the functions of the Council under this Act.12. Code of conduct
The Council shall, by Regulations, prescribe a Code of Conduct for members of the Council and staff of the Council.Part III – CLIMATE CHANGE RESPONSE MEASURES AND ACTIONS
13. Cabinet Secretary to coordinate the preparation of climate change action plans, strategies and policies
14. Policies formulated by the Government
Part IV – DUTIES RELATING TO CLIMATE CHANGE
15. Climate change duties of public sector
16. Climate change duties of private entities
17. Monitoring compliance
18. Mainstreaming climate change actions into strategic areas
The Council, on the recommendation of the Cabinet Secretary shall each year identify priority strategies and actions of disaster risk reduction related to climate change and—19. Mainstreaming climate change actions into County Government function
20. Integration of climate change risk
The Authority shall integrate climate risk and vulnerability assessment into all forms of assessment, and for that purpose liaise with relevant lead agencies for their technical advice.21. Integration of climate change into curricula
22. Reporting on climate change actions
The Cabinet Secretary shall make regulations to guide the reporting and verification of climate change actions.23. Enforcement of rights relating to climate change
Part IVA – REGULATION OF CARBON MARKETS
23A. Carbon markets
23B. Trade in carbon markets
The trade in carbon market shall ensure that—23C. Participation in carbon markets
23D. Environmental impact assessment
23E. Provision of social and environmental benefits
23F. Share of proceeds and cancellation rates
The national and county governments shall, in compliance with international obligation, undertake best practices regarding the share of proceeds and cancellation rates for overall global mitigation.[Act No. 9 of 2023, s. 12.]23G. Carbon Registry
23H. Dispute resolution
23I. Fees
The Designated National Authority shall charge such fees as may be prescribed by the Cabinet Secretary in regulations for the proper administration of the Act.[Act No. 9 of 2023, s. 12.]Part V – PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AND ACCESS TO INFORMATION
24. Public participation
Part VI – FINANCIAL PROVISIONS
25. Climate Change Fund
26. Incentives for the promotion of climate change initiatives
27. Annual estimates
At least three months before the commencement of each financial year, the Council shall cause to be prepared estimates of the revenue and expenditure of the Council for that year.28. Financial year of the Council
The financial year of the Council shall be the period of twelve months ending on the thirtieth June in each year.29. Accounts and audit
Part VII – MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
30. Public engagement strategy
31. Conflict of interest
32. Protection from personal liability
33. Offences and penalties
34. Reports
35. Transitional provision
Part VIII – DELEGATED LEGISLATION
36. Regulations
History of this document
15 September 2023 this version
Amended by
The Climate Change (Amendment) Act, 2023
31 December 2022
Revised by
24th Annual Supplement
Read this version
27 May 2016
Commenced
13 May 2016
06 May 2016
Assented to
Cited documents 6
Act 5
1. | Environmental Management and Co-ordination Act | 1116 citations |
2. | Statutory Instruments Act | 229 citations |
3. | Stamp Duty Act | 158 citations |
4. | Non-Governmental Organizations Co-ordination Act | 69 citations |
5. | Public Benefits Organizations Act | 10 citations |
Legal Notice 1
1. | The National Environmental Tribunal Procedure Rules | 6 citations |
Documents citing this one 18
Gazette 8
Judgment 8
Bench Bulletin 1
1. | Bench Bulletin - Issue 33 |
Legal Notice 1
1. | Climate Change (Public Participation and Access to Climate Change Information) Regulations, 2023 |
Subsidiary legislation
Title
|
|
---|---|
The Climate Change (Carbon Markets) Regulations, 2024 | Legal Notice 84 of 2024 |
Climate Change (Public Participation and Access to Climate Change Information) Regulations, 2023 | Legal Notice 38 of 2023 |