In the past year, Kenya has witnessed a series of climatic catastrophes that have oscillated from severe droughts to raging floods that have resulted in the loss of lives and livelihoods. With incessant warnings coming from the Kenya Meteorological Department on the raging and adverse weather conditions, it has become a matter of life and death requiring public and private sector stakeholders to unite and seek a lasting solution to this menace.

As we reflect on this year’s World Environment Day theme, the focus on land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience resonates deeply with Kenya's pressing environmental challenges. The urgency of greening Kenya can be best understood when one considers that approximately 84 percent of Kenya's land area is classified as arid or semi-arid.

 Environmental degradation affects millions of livelihoods, exacerbating poverty, and food insecurity. Traditional government interventions, while necessary, are often insufficient to tackle these complex issues. This is where the synergy of public-private partnerships comes into play.

Firstly, public-private partnerships harness the strengths of both sectors, creating a robust framework for addressing environmental challenges. Whereas the National and County Governments bring in regulatory support, strategic oversight, and public accountability, the private sector contributes innovation, efficiency, and investment.

Several successful PPP initiatives in Kenya illustrate the potential of this model. For instance, the Kenya Agricultural Carbon Project, which brings public institutions and private entities together, has supported farmers to adopt sustainable agricultural practices, thereby restoring degraded lands. It is a win-win strategy since farmers also benefit from growing the trees for financial gain.

Another example is the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) collaboration with corporates including Minet Kenya where individual companies are allocated depleted forest blocks that need reforestation.

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Last year, Minet Kenya launched an ambitious commitment to plant 500,000 trees in collaboration with KFS, the Office of the First Lady, under the Mama Doing Good Initiative, Kenya Army Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (KACEME), and the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI). This initiative will see Minet rehabilitate the Matathia Escarpment in Kiambu County together with the local communities.

Secondly, the private sector's role in bringing innovative climate risk solutions and practices to land restoration is invaluable. This includes mooting climate risk insurance solutions that not only address the immediate aftermath of climate-related disasters but also proactively meet the financial burdens they impose in times of such calamities. These innovations, when scaled through public-private partnerships, can transform the agricultural landscape, making it more resilient to the impacts of climate change.

Look at the case of the World Bank-backed Kenya Livestock Insurance Program, which was launched in 2015 and has since transformed into a bigger project christened DRIVE (De-Risking, Inclusion, and Value Enhancement of pastoral economies in the Horn of Africa). This program was initially administered as a public-private partnership with a consortium of seven Kenyan insurers led by APA Insurance, with backing from Swiss Re. The program was implemented in six counties including Turkana, Wajir, Marsabit, Isiolo, Mandera, and Tana River counties.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, at least 138,000 pastoralists had registered for livestock insurance coverage and tapped more than KSh. 2.7 billion worth of benefits in the form of claims payouts and state insurance premium subsidies by April this year.

Programs that educate and empower

Moreover, effective land restoration requires active participation from local communities. Public-private partnerships can facilitate this by creating programs that educate and empower local populations. For example, training programs on sustainable farming practices, supported by both government and private sectors, can transform communities into stewards of their land. This ensures that rehabilitation initiatives have local buy-in that makes them sustainable in the long term.

Lastly, for PPPs to thrive, a supportive policy environment is essential. The Government can play a critical role in creating policies that incentivize private sector participation in land restoration. This includes enacting tax incentives, subsidies for sustainable practices, and streamlining regulatory processes that create an enabling environment for climate-smart businesses to thrive.

In conclusion, the public sector cannot address the challenge of land degradation in Kenya by itself. Public-private partnerships can offer a powerful mechanism to pool resources, leverage expertise, and implement innovative solutions at scale. By embracing PPPs, we can make significant strides in land restoration, combat desertification, build resilience against drought, and secure a sustainable future for people and planet.

The writer, Esther Bundi, is the Assistant Manager, Corporate Affairs at Minet Kenya.