At least 27 counties are enlisted under the World Bank funded programme to develop infrastructure needed to mitigate the effects of climate.
The World Bank (WB) under the Financing Locally Lead Climate Change Action Programme (FLOCA) in partnership with the Commission of Administrative Justice (Office of Ombudsman) are working with selected counties to set up infrastructure to address complaints arising from climate change.
The Vice Chair of the Commission of Administrative Justice (CAJ) Mr. Washington Opiyo Sati told a press briefing at a hotel in Wote town where the counties were acquainted with the programme policy paper on how to set up the complaint handling infrastructures in their respective counties.
“This policy aims at helping counties to set up the complaints handling infrastructure because they receive climate issues from wananchi every day,” said Sati while addressing the media.
Some of the counties that had representatives in the three-day training include Nairobi, Kajiado, Machakos, Taita Taveta, Kitui and Makueni.
During the media briefing, the vice chair urged county governments to come up with new innovations aimed at minimizing the impact brought about by climate change effects.
“The Commission in partnership with WB under FLOCA programme, aim to respond to challenges brought about by climate change,” the vice chair noted.
On access to information, he observed that they will also engage with members of the public on the need to know how to access information that will help them hold the county and national governments accountable.
“The CJ Act of 2021 requires that the county and national governments must be held accountable. We shall engage with the public at Unoa grounds to enlighten them that it is their right to get information from government,” said Sati.
On her part, CAJ Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mercy Wambua said that through FLOCA, they want to empower wananchi on how to handle effects of climate change that impacts negatively and that infringes on their rights.
Consequently, MS Wambua said that they were also educating the county and national governments on how to put up measures that will combat climate change effects.
“When County Governments are offering services to wananchi they need to do it right. However when complaints arise, they should be addressed through the structures that have been set up,” ms Wambua said.
By Patrick Nyakundi
