Inclusive strategic planning for water, energy and climate change in the rangelands (كينيا)

Inclusive strategic planning for water, energy and climate change in the rangelands at county, sub-county, ward and location levels. This involves convening stakeholder groups and reviewing databases to prepare for future needs for rangeland, water and other resources under changing climatic conditions.

This participatory approach consists of strategic planning through a method that embraces the perspectives of the stakeholder groups, including rangeland resource user associations. Strategic planning is needed in order to rebalance the threats and opportunities created by the annual cycle of droughts and floods, and to coordinate the efforts of local, national and international actors. Key elements of the strategic planning approach include:
i) Scientific tools, databases, systems, and capacities to observe and monitor climate effects, extractions and of water within the catchment;
ii) Clean, affordable and friendly technological solutions to redistribute and conserve water and energy supplies where they are needed within the catchment, particularly during drought and floods;
iii) Inclusive institutions, including active local participation both formally established and customary, to prioritize, guide, supervise and maintain the necessary information systems and infrastructure.
The County Ministry of Water, Energy and Climate Change encourages, and is involved in, a strong community consultation process. It publicly reviews its databases to prioritize investments for a multi-sectoral Strategic Plan. The plan is used to guide investments from the county budget, and also by other actors intending to contribute to managing water, energy and climate change within the county. In the past, the lack of such a strategy and consultation process has held back coordination amongst resource users, and limited the effectiveness of many county and donor-supported interventions, especially in the rangeland areas.
2016-7 was the first time that such an approach to planning had been explored by the county officials. Over 100 women and men representing local customary resource user associations, women’s groups, formal water resource user associations, water committees, irrigation committees, ward adaptation planning committees and others took part in a series of sub-county level consultation meetings. These were conducted in appropriate languages, depending on the mix of participants. The public meetings were preceded by technical preparatory meetings amongst the county technical officers and resource persons.
The Sector Strategic Plan feeds into the preparation of the County Integrated Development Plan (with a 5-year timeframe), as well as the annual budgeting for the county government and its development partners. The recommendations also support and feed into ongoing catchment level planning, as well as broader national planning debates in Kenya, particularly those concerning the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs). The overall objective of the Strategic Plan is to enable Isiolo county and its neighbouring ASAL counties in Kenya - and the Horn of Africa - to achieve their full potential as the crucibles of national and global prosperity, security and spiritual well-being.