NAIROBI (Kenya): Two major carbon credit initiatives in Kenya are under scrutiny as disputes with Indigenous communities raise questions about the credibility and social impact of the country’s carbon market strategy. Kenya’s government has positioned voluntary carbon credits as a key source of climate finance, aiming to fund about 80 per cent of its national climate plan and promote the sector as a significant export.
Verra, the leading global certification agency of carbon credits, has once again suspended the Northern Kenya Rangelands Carbon Project (NKRCP) pending review after a Kenyan court earlier this year ruled that two conservancies established by the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) were set up unconstitutionally because of flawed community consent and breaches of land law. The suspension follows an earlier pause and highlights ongoing concerns about land governance and rights in carbon projects.
Tensions have also flared in Kajiado County over the Kajiado Rangeland Carbon Project (KRCP), a large soil carbon initiative covering Indigenous grazing lands. Protests by Maasai community members disrupted efforts to formalize a 40-year lease on a significant tract of land, with opponents arguing that consent procedures were improper and that agreements were secured under misleading conditions. Supporters within the community argue the project’s grazing management could improve climate resilience and provide income.
Kenya has faced repeated climate related shocks, including droughts and floods, intensifying pressure to mobilize climate finance. The government has promoted a new legal framework intended to ensure host communities receive at least 40 per cent of carbon revenues. However, land rights activists and analysts warn that weak communication with local people and inadequate safeguards could undermine both community rights and environmental integrity as the sector expands.
Carbon markets are also globally contested, with critics questioning whether offset schemes deliver genuine emissions reductions or simply allow polluters to continue high emissions while perpetuating inequalities between wealthy buyers and vulnerable local communities. Kenya’s experience underscores the challenge of balancing climate finance ambitions with the rights and livelihoods of Indigenous land stewards.
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