Kenya : Delivering Adaptation and Resilient Development Outcomes Through Locally-Led Climate Action

Overview & Synopsis

Poverty and climate vulnerability remain major development challenges in Kenya, particularly in rural areas. Of the country’s 55 million people, 35% live in poverty, with higher rates concentrated in geographically isolated and underinvested rural regions. While Kenya has made notable development gains in recent decades—outpacing regional averages in per capita growth and poverty reduction until 2019—these improvements have been uneven. Rural communities remain disproportionately affected, not only by persistent poverty but also by growing exposure to climate risks, due to their dependence on climate-sensitive livelihoods such as pastoralism and rain-fed agriculture.