Measuring impact: Kenya’s innovative approach to tracking and reporting climate actions’ impacts

Introduction

Limited capacity within Kenya’s Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Natural Resources, and Forestry (MECCF), and county climate change units, has hindered effective oversight of climate investments and their impacts.

To address this gap, the MECCF has formed a partnership – co-led with SouthSouthNorth (SSN)’s, Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) and the World Resources Institute (WRI), with technical support from African Group of Negotiators Expert Support (AGNES) and with the engagement of Africa Research and Impact Network (ARIN) – to co-develop a standardised indicators handbook and a digital Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting, and Learning (MERL) tool. The MERL tool will leverage these indicators to enhance data collection, analysis, and reporting, ultimately promoting greater transparency, accountability, and informed decision-making in Kenya’s climate actions.

The need for an improved MERL tool

In 2023, a longitudinal study commissioned by the CDKN Kenya country programme highlighted significant challenges in Kenya's existing monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems for climate change. It noted that, while tools and frameworks exist, they are poorly integrated, insufficiently localised, and not user-friendly – particularly when trying to capture impact stories and feedback at a grassroots level. The system’s effectiveness was further weakened by limited technical capacity, a reliance on secondary or outdated data, and the absence of real-time information.

Inception meeting and stakeholder engagement

To address these issues and align with the needs of the country, counties, and their commitment to co-create, an inception workshop was convened by CDKN Kenya in July 2025, bringing together representatives from the government, county authorities, civil society, and development partners like the WRI.

The purpose was to review the existing MERL frameworks, identify gaps, and parameters for co-creating a tailored digital MERL tool aligned with Kenya’s climate policies, including the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAPIII), National Adaptation Plan (NAP 2015-2030), and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC – 2031-2035).

Key discussions

Discussions at the workshop explored a variety of topics, including the challenges of standardising indicators across diverse counties, integrating digitisation and artificial intelligence to enhance monitoring, and tailoring indicators to local contexts.

In his address, Dr. Eng. Festus Ng’eno, the Principal Secretary for the State Department of Environment and Climate Change in MECCF, underscored the value of robust MERL systems aligned with Kenya’s commitment under the Paris Agreement. Furthermore, he launched the ministerial technical working group that would collaborate with WRI and CDKN Kenya to develop an indicators handbook and the MERL tool, respectively.
A presentation on the Global Goal on Adaptation highlighted the need for impact pathways and context-specific indicators, validated by experts, to ensure accuracy and relevance in the global climate action. This further underscored the need for a flexible, yet coherent framework, which aligned with international standards.
Speakers from partner organisations emphasised the significance of reviewing existing tools, like the National Integrated Monitoring and Evaluation System (NIMES) and the County Integrated Monitoring and Evaluation System (CIMES), and identified gaps related to indicator standardisation, data privacy, and capacity constraints.
The importance of the inclusion of county stakeholders was highlighted to ensure the tool’s relevance at local levels, which is vital for effective climate action tracking. Notably, Makueni and Vihiga counties shared their experiences, advocating for community-based monitoring approaches involving ward-level feedback and photographic evidence.

Workshop participants, then, formed smaller groups to delve into specific aspects of the digital MERL tool:

With regard to institutionalisation and custodianship, stakeholders recognised the Ministry of Environment as the primary custodian at the national level, and counties at the sub-national level, advocating for integration with the existing systems at the national and county levels. Anchoring the tool in a legal framework was deemed crucial to operationalise and fund them sustainably.
In terms of structure, emphasis was placed on inclusive and disaggregated data collection involving technical staff and community members, safeguarding privacy, and ensuring the system supports timely, sector-specific reports.
And finally, regarding indicators, participants identified that the selection thereof should follow clear criteria, capturing the full results chain, involving non-state actors, and reflecting both national and local priorities, especially for marginalised groups.

What’s next?

The development of a digital MERL platform marks a significant milestone in Kenya’s climate governance. By leveraging community insights, harnessing existing digital tools, and fostering both multisectoral collaboration and multilevel governance, Kenya is poised to enhance its capacity to monitor and report on the effectiveness of climate investments and value of climate finance.

In terms of next steps, the project stakeholders agreed to work closely with the technical working groups at both national and county levels. These groups will work collaboratively with support from SSN through the CDKN programme in Kenya, WRI, AGNES and ARIN to finalise the indicators handbook, the MERL tool, and the implementation strategy.

When completed, this work will not only improve transparency and accountability but also ensure that climate actions translate into tangible benefits for communities and the environment alike.