Nairobi: The government is seeking to collaborate with development partners to advance climate resilience, natural capital restoration, and regional development through strengthened collaboration with the World Bank. Environment and Climate Change Principal Secretary (PS) Dr. Festus Ng’eno said that at the center of the talks is the strategic importance of the Lake Victoria Basin, which Kenya and its regional partners view as a critical economic and ecological asset supporting over 40 million people.
According to Kenya News Agency, speaking Tuesday, when he hosted a delegation from the World Bank Group led by Valerie Hickey, Global Director, the PS emphasized the importance of strategic collaboration around the Lake Victoria Basin and other flagship climate and environmental investments. ‘The basin underpins key sectors including water security, fisheries, agriculture, energy, transport, and tourism and is increasingly being positioned as a regional growth pole for East Africa,’ said Dr. Ng’eno.
He singled out Kenya’s readiness to play an active role in a coordinated regional initiative, aligning with efforts by the East African Community and the World Bank to establish a programmatic, multi-sector investment platform. The PS confirmed that the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, in collaboration with the National Treasury, will submit a formal request to operationalize Kenya’s participation and unlock financing opportunities under the initiative.
A key highlight of the engagement was the INSPIRE programme Investing in Nature-based Solutions: Partnerships, Innovation, Restoration and Enterprise, a flagship initiative under the Climate Investment Funds Nature, People and Climate window. Kenya is positioning INSPIRE as a model for mobilizing private sector investment in natural capital, with a focus on scaling restoration efforts into viable, investment-ready pipelines.
The programme is expected to drive job creation and sustainable livelihoods through sectors such as ecotourism, forestry, and climate-smart agriculture, while strengthening collaboration between the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation. Discussions also highlighted the role of major World Bank-supported programmes already underway in Kenya, including the Kenya Watershed Services Improvement Project (KEWASIP) and the Financing Locally-Led Climate Action (FLLoCA) programme.
These initiatives are enhancing water security, strengthening land governance, and empowering counties to implement climate-resilient development. Together with INSPIRE, these programmes are forming an integrated platform linking community-level action, national policy systems, and private capital to deliver climate resilience and economic opportunities.
In addition, Kenya is exploring the development of a dedicated waste management programme to address pollution challenges and promote sustainable practices as part of its broader environmental and climate agenda. During the meeting, Kenya outlined a set of targeted requests to World Bank leadership, including scaling up access to climate finance particularly grants and concessional funding, strengthening support for natural capital accounting to inform macro-fiscal planning, and aligning flagship investments into a unified national framework.
Engagements also involved Samson Toniok (CEO NETFUND), Vicky Betty, Director Programme, Projects and Strategic Initiatives, alongside senior World Bank officials including Anna Wellenstein, Paul Jonathan Martin, Hisham Osman, Ben Marangu, and Erica Honeck, among others. Kenya further called for enhanced financial, technical, and convening support to maximize the impact of INSPIRE, explore opportunities for scaling through International Development Association (IDA) resources, and leverage existing programmes to inform broader regional initiatives, including the Lake Victoria Basin programme.
The meeting underscores Kenya’s growing ambition to position climate action and natural capital restoration at the core of its development agenda, while leveraging global partnerships to unlock investment, create jobs, and build long-term resilience.
