The National Environment Trust Fund (NETFUND), a National Government agency, supports the concept of climate finance through implementation of the key objectives of Kenya’s Green Economy Strategy. Specifically, the Fund is involved in enhancing the capacity of county governments to access climate finance. As at now, 86 county officers from 47 counties have been trained to enhance their capacity to design climate finance programmes. In addition, NETFUND has designed nine projects aimed at mobilising $6 million from the international climate financing streams like the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and Global Environment Facility (GEF), to support climate change action financing in Kenya. This has been achieved through partnership with the African Climate Change Fund under the African Development Bank. NETFUND operates under the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. Its mandate is to “facilitate research intended to further the requirements of environmental management, capacity building, environmental awards, environmental publications, scholarships and grants.” Its mission is to mobilise, manage and avail resources with a vision to have “sustainable financing available for environmental management in Kenya.” It has supported more than 100 innovations and green businesses aligned to food security, manufacturing, health and housing. About 70 percent of them are led by young people. Through the initiatives, NETFUND has fostered the adoption of clean energy in Kenya, including biogas generation, mini hydro power generation, energy saving devices and clean energy biomass fuels, among others. NETFUND’s programme focus has mainly been on the promotion of green growth and climate change actions. Green growth has been identified as a growth model that emphasises the use of natural resources in a sustainable manner. The Fund promotes green growth through its flagship Green Innovations Awards (GIA) project, which recognises innovations that reduce the effects of climate change. It offers technical and financial support to innovations that contribute to a low carbon and climate resilient development pathway in line with the global Sustainable Developments Goals (SGDs). The GIA project has spawned major environmental and socio-economic benefits for local communities. More than 9,700 green jobs have been created. Close to 8,000 households are accessing clean energy for lighting and cooking. Also, 7,589 tonnes of waste have been recycled. Additionally, 16,000 households are accessing clean water as a result of the project.
NETFUND enhances the capacity of county governments to access climate finance. It has trained 12 county officers from nine counties on how to access climate finance opportunities and the role they must play in the implementation of the Climate Change Act and National Climate Change Action Plan 2018-2022. An example of innovations supported by NETFUND’s GIA is the Kitengela Hot Glass Project. This is a waste management project in Kitengela, Kajiado County, founded by Anselm Croze. The initiative recycles scrap glass into functional art and tableware, and reuses waste engine oil to melt the waste glass. Kitengela Hot Glass has recycled 2 million kilos of scrap glass in the last 30 years, and has safely burnt about 2.5 million litres of used oil. Ultimately, the initiative pays above average salaries to more than 40 employees, most of whom have several dependents. Reduction of carbon footprints is a key endeavour for NETFUND. To this end, the Fund sponsors and undertakes continuous production of tree nurseries and planting trees across the country. It also supports communities to come up with tree nurseries for the benefit of the environment and to boost their livelihoods. Aligning interventions with the UN Sustainable Development Goals is a key focus for NETFUND. The Fund has recently revised its organisational strategic plan to enhance exactly this. It has aligned its programmes to SDGs 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15. Additionally, the Fund contributes to the cross-cutting areas of poverty reduction through environmental grants and economic stimulus programmes.
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