Executive Summary: Just Transitions in Kenyas Low Carbon Economy Development Path

The report examines Kenya's path toward a low-carbon economy, highlighting that while a net-zero transition offers economic opportunities and green jobs, it risks marginalizing vulnerable groups—particularly women, youth, and informal workers—if not managed inclusively. It analyzes sector-specific risks in agriculture, energy, transport, industry, forestry, waste, and tourism, noting that while Kenya has a robust legal framework via the Climate Change Act (2016), just transition objectives are not yet mainstreamed into primary development plans like Vision 2030. The document advocates for stakeholder engagement, social protection, and gender-sensitive policies to ensure the transition reduces existing inequalities rather than compounding them.

• Kenya possesses a strong legal framework for climate change, notably the Climate Change Act (2016) and the 2020 revised NDC, yet just transition goals are not integrated into major development strategies such as the Big Four Agenda (2018-22) or Vision 2030.
• The agricultural sector, which employs 54% of Kenyans (including 8.3 million informal workers), faces risks where a shift toward regenerative and agroecology-based modes could impoverish millions of informal farmers, especially women, without a clear just transition framework.
• In the energy sector, biomass provides 68% of national energy and is critical for the urban poor and rural communities; however, women's participation is limited by social norms and lack of land rights, necessitating capacity building and gender-inclusive policies.
• Transport initiatives like the Bus Rapid Transit in Nairobi may reduce emissions and urban inequality but are projected to cause job losses for thousands of workers in the informal transport economy, with current plans lacking mechanisms to address these livelihood losses.
• The forestry and waste sectors face significant social risks: nearly three million people's livelihoods could be threatened by forest transition plans, and the relocation of the Dandora dumpsite in Nairobi could directly jeopardize over 3,000 families.
• The industrial sector, which contributed 7.6% of GDP in 2019, relies on fossil fuels for cement and steel production; a transition to a circular economy requires retraining and an unemployment insurance fund to protect semi-skilled and contractual workers.

APA

Climate Strategies (n.d.). Executive Summary: Just Transitions in Kenyas Low Carbon Economy Development Path. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Executive-Summary-Just-Transitions-in-Kenyas-Low-Carbon-Economy-Development-Path.pdf

Chicago

Climate Strategies. Executive Summary: Just Transitions in Kenyas Low Carbon Economy Development Path. n.d. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Executive-Summary-Just-Transitions-in-Kenyas-Low-Carbon-Economy-Development-Path.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Strategies |title=Executive Summary: Just Transitions in Kenyas Low Carbon Economy Development Path |url=https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Executive-Summary-Just-Transitions-in-Kenyas-Low-Carbon-Economy-Development-Path.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatestrategiesndexecutive, author = {{Climate Strategies}}, title = {{Executive Summary: Just Transitions in Kenyas Low Carbon Economy Development Path}}, institution = {Climate Strategies}, url = {https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Executive-Summary-Just-Transitions-in-Kenyas-Low-Carbon-Economy-Development-Path.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }