Inclusive green growth in Kenya: Opportunities in the dryland water and rangeland sectors

Green growth promises to provide the economic incentives that resource-dependent dryland communities need to achieve sustainable inclusive economic development. This will involve unravelling and overturning the intertwined negative drivers of climatic stress, environmental degradation, marginalisation and inequality that have held these communities back in the past.

Kenya's ongoing devolution process provides an opportunity for green economic planning in the arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) to be informed by an inclusive consideration of needs, priorities, resource conditions and trends articulated from the level of the resource user. But building and aligning the necessary institutions and interventions to drive inclusive green growth still poses a challenge. This merits the consideration of the government of Kenya and its development partners.

The main objective of this analytical study was to assess the drivers of change in Kenya's ASAL areas, with an emphasis on the water, rangeland management and livestock enterprise development sectors, to inform the Danish embassy on appropriate strategic considerations or principles that may foster inclusive green growth through support to two selected partners: the Water Services Trust Fund and Northern Rangeland Trust. The purpose was not to collect new primary data, but to digest and frame what is currently available, and make recommendations on the considerations to take in designing Danida’s green growth and employment support through these partners in the areas of rangeland management and supply and access of water. The study took place over a rapid timeframe of one month and was based on a series of key informant interviews and a desk review of supporting literature.

Inherent constraints on the depth of the analysis relating to the timeframe and timing, logistics, availability of information and partners’ participation are acknowledged.