Migori County has embarked on establishing climate change fund regulations 2023 to unlock the 22 million budgetary allocations meant to mitigate the effects of the global phenomena in the region.
The move comes as the county in recent times experienced a shift in climatic patterns that was occasioned by unpredictable and erratic rainfall seasons, rising temperatures, prolonged dry spells attributed to water scarcity.
Migori County Executive Committee Member (CECM) Rahab Robi said the establishment of the climate change fund regulations will operationalise the allocated cash to address climate matters in all the 12 sub counties.
Robi who addressed climate change actors and stakeholders in one of the hotels in Migori town noted that they intend to operationalise the 2023 Fund Regulations to ensure that the county is adequately prepared to tackle the climate effects.
“We want to ensure that anything parting climate change issues and allocated funds concur with the legal procedures and laws”, said Robi.
She added that the administration has already established the fund administrator appointed by the finance department to ensure the funds are accounted for once they are operationalised.
The official further explained that the administration will be rolling out ward climate change committees in all the 40 wards to align with the 2023 fund regulation.
Migori County Commissioner Meru Mwangi said he will coordinate all relevant climate change stakeholders to ensure that every activity in the county is crowned with tree planting to help increase three per cent tree cover in the county.
The administrator urged the county government to ensure the funds flow to the intended climate change activities across the 40 wards to help address the climate menace.
Mwangi also asked the donors to come on board and help increase the county and national government climate funds to successfully address the climate threats.
The county had allocated two per cent of the total county budgetary allocation for the 2022/2023 financial year.
The climate change fund regulations 2023 will guide the procedures, conduct of the Board and Committees, prescribed forms, remuneration and allowances for the Board, County planning committee, and Ward planning committees.
Additionally, the regulations shall also guide bank arrangements for the Fund, disbursements of funds to approved projects among others.
The climate change fund regulations final report will be submitted to the Auditor General for audit and to the County Assembly before it is operationalised.
Late last year Climate Change actors in Migori embarked on the climate change sensitisation exercise that aimed to help various communities cope with climate change challenges. The exercise that was championed by the Devolution for Climate Change Adaptation initiative (DACCA) specifically addressed the issues of how best the communities can be supported by the devolved units to come up with appropriate climate change interventions.
By Geoffrey Makokha
