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The number of people affected by droughts and floods in Kenya is
doubling every decade. To help poor people deal with the impact of such
climatic shocks, IDA funded two phases of the Arid Lands Resource Management Program.
The program has been successful in addressing short-term impacts of climate
variability and is now focusing on addressing the longer-term impacts of
climate change.
Climate models project a substantial increase of up to 5 degrees
Celsius in the annual average temperature for Kenya by the end of the century.
While uncertainties remain regarding the changes in average rainfall,
projections clearly indicate a growing risk of both dry spells and intense
precipitation events. Recognizing this, IDA provided an additional $60
million in financing in fiscal 2007 to deepen and broaden the government’s
efforts to address climate variability, and the Global Environment Facility
is contributing an additional $5 million in fiscal 2008 to deal with these
risks. The next phase aims to increase institutional capacity to plan for
climate change by improving information flows and analytical capacity; to
promote public and private investment through incentives for appropriate
investment; and to increase community resilience by piloting and
demonstrating alternative livelihood options through community-based microprojects. (See www.worldbank.org/kenya.)
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