Senate sharpens oversight lens as climate billions flow to counties

Nakuru County
Saturday, 29th February 2026

Kenya's 47 counties are sitting on a climate finance windfall. The Financing Locally-Led Climate Action (FLLoCA) programme, backed by the World Bank and international partners, has channelled Ksh 38.2 billion to fund climate resilience at the grassroots level since 2022. But with the money comes a question the Senate cannot afford to ignore: Who is watching?
That question took centre stage at the Senate's Assessment and Planning Retreat, when Peter Odhengo, FLLoCA Programme Coordinator at the National Treasury, briefed senators on the programme's progress and its fault lines.
"This programme is pioneering the first national model of decentralising funds directly to counties and devolving decisions to local communities," Odhengo told the session. "Counties receive grants based on performance scores. Those that meet fiduciary and institutional conditions unlock larger allocations."
Each qualifying county can receive up to Ksh 162 million annually through the County Climate Resilience Investment grant. Over 1,200 rural wards have already benefited, surpassing initial targets, and the programme has created nearly 75,000 jobs.
Yet the session carried difficult news. Odhengo disclosed that Kiambu, Nakuru and Samburu counties were yet to meet the minimum requirements to access FLLoCA funding. "That is regrettable," he said, urging the three counties to comply without further delay. "The people of those counties deserve to benefit alongside the rest of the republic."
Harder still was what he revealed about Kajiado and Nyamira counties. Both have been suspended from the programme, and their accounts have been closed after auditors detected theft and misuse of funds. The two counties are currently under investigation.