When I was young, I always wondered why I had to skip school—why, alongside many other children, I had to walk long distances to fetch water from the nearest Athi River. That water, carried in heavy yellow jerrycans on donkey backs, would only sustain a homestead for two days at most—water that was contaminated, unsafe, yet the only lifeline we had.
I remember the bone-deep exhaustion, the long treks under the punishing sun, and the relief of reaching home with jerrycans full of hope. Nearby streams that once made life easier had dried up.
We didn’t know it then, but the creeping hand of climate change had already begun altering our lives, and it’s altering lives even more drastically today.
Many years later, while working at Natural State, that memory came flooding back. Natural State, which focuses on nature finance and impact monitoring for restoration projects, is now developing a centre of excellence where communities and practitioners will be trained in ecosystem restoration.
As I learned more about the science behind the restoration of nature, I realised what had happened in my childhood wasn’t just misfortune — it was part of a larger, systemic environmental collapse. And what was missing then, and still often missing today, is knowledge.
Knowledge is power, and capacity building is how we transfer that power.
As Kenya looks forward to its recently submitted 2031–235 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), the government must recognise that even the best climate policies will fail without a deliberate, well-funded capacity-building strategy. People cannot implement what they do not understand, and communities cannot adapt to change they have never been taught to recognise.
The knowledge gap is real. Most Kenyan universities offer climate-related programmes, yet graduates often enter the workforce without the hands-on skills or interdisciplinary training required to make meaningful contributions.
Institutions like the Wangari Maathai Institute at the University of Nairobi, which could serve as national hubs for climate leadership and innovation, remain underfunded and underutilised. The newly established Open University of Kenya has launched without a distinct climate studies faculty, missing an opportunity to democratise climate education.
It’s not just academia that’s struggling. Policymakers, county officers, farmers, and local leaders often lack access to timely, relevant climate information. Where knowledge exists, it is hoarded in central institutions, rarely making its way to the people most affected—the same people walking miles for water, struggling to harvest enough food, or watching their grazing lands turn to dust.
Let’s not wait for another generation to walk those same dusty paths. The time to act is now. Let’s build their capacity to stay, learn, lead, and ensure a better future.
Yet Kenya holds a strategic advantage many countries would envy: UNEP's global headquarters is right in Nairobi. This is not just symbolic—it is a potential launchpad for cross-cutting, grassroots-oriented capacity building.
The government must actively partner with Unep and other international actors to localise expertise, support community-led training, and foster climate literacy at every level of society.
As someone who once missed school because of environmental stress, I know firsthand that climate change doesn't just dry rivers — it erodes futures. The loss of nature impacts food systems, economies, public health, and, yes, even access to education.
That's why Kenya's new NDC must go beyond targets and timelines. It must invest in human capital — in the young people, future leaders, farmers, entrepreneurs, and public servants who can turn policy into action.
Capacity building is not a side issue. It is the foundation of climate resilience. Without it, we remain reactive. With it, we empower a generation to restore, adapt, and thrive. This can be achieved through community-led training programs, interdisciplinary education, and the dissemination of timely, relevant climate information.
Let's not wait for another generation to walk those same dusty paths. The time to act is now. Let's build their capacity to stay, learn, lead, and ensure a better future for all.
The writer is a climate action enthusiast and a communications specialist at Windward Communications Consultancy.
