A Guide to a Human Rights-Based Approach in Climate Change Action: “Integrating Human Rights into County Climate Change Actions”
This guide provides a practical framework for embedding human rights into county climate change governance and action in Kenya. It recognizes climate change as both an environmental and human rights challenge, with disproportionate impacts on Vulnerable and Marginalized Groups (VMGs), threatening rights including life, food, water, health, adequate housing, development, culture and a clean and healthy environment.
The guide enables county governments and stakeholders to design and implement inclusive, equitable and rights-based climate mitigation and adaptation measures that strengthen resilience, safeguard human dignity and ensure that “no one is left behind”. It provides practical guidance for mainstreaming human rights across key climate action areas, strengthening the capacity of county actors, and enhancing participatory monitoring, reporting, accountability and learning.
Anchored in the principles of participation, transparency and accountability, non-discrimination and equality, empowerment, and legality, the guide promotes meaningful community participation, equitable access to information and resources, protection from harm, access to remedies, and stronger accountability of duty-bearers. It also provides practical analytical approach to help counties identify rights risks, opportunities and systemic barriers in climate action.
The guide is intended primarily for county governments and climate and environmental actors, while also serving civil society organizations, communities, private sector actors and other stakeholders. Ultimately, it provides a roadmap for ensuring that climate action is effective, sustainable, inclusive and just, placing human rights at the centre of climate resilience and ensuring that those most at risk are not left behind. Download report.
Leaving No One Behind: Advancing Human Rights-Based Approaches towards Sustainable Climate Change Initiatives in Kenya “Survey on Policy and Legislative Interventions for Climate Change in Kenya with a Focus on Vulnerable and Marginalized Groups (VMGs) at National and County Level”
This report provides an in-depth, human rights-based assessment of Kenya's climate change policies and legislative frameworks, specifically focusing on their impact on Vulnerable and Marginalized Groups (VMGs).
The primary objective of the assessment was to analyze the alignment of existing climate change interventions with national, regional, and international human rights standards, assessing the extent to which they address the unique protection needs of VMGs. The scope of the assessment focused on five sampled counties: Makueni, Taita Taveta, Nakuru, Samburu, and Kirinyaga, utilizing a methodology that included in-depth policy reviews, focused group discussions, and key informant interviews.
The content is structured around four chapters: Introduction and Methodology, outlines the context and the problem statement including the risk of climate actions leading to forced evictions and deepening inequalities. Human Rights Assessment of Frameworks, that interrogates national and county laws against fundamental human rights, including the right to highest attainable standard of health, life, water, adequate food, housing, healthy and sustainable environment, assembly and cultural rights. The findings and realities, detailing the human rights violations experienced by communities on the ground and evaluates county climate actions against the core Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) Principles: Participation, Accountability, Non-discrimination and Equality, Empowerment, and Legality, collectively known as PANEL). It also provides targeted recommendations for state, civil society, and private sector actors, emphasizing the necessity of fully embedding HRBA into climate action.
The central finding of the report is that despite significant progress in policy development, systemic gaps persist, resulting in weak enforcement and fragmented implementation that often fails to reach or meaningfully include VMGs. The report concludes that Kenya’s climate challenge is fundamentally a human rights issue, requiring a deliberate shift to utilize the HRBA framework to ensure equitable resource allocation and enhanced accountability across all levels of governance. Download report
POLICY PAPER 2025 Leaving No One Behind: Advancing a Human Rights-Based Approach to Climate Change in Kenya.
The policy brief presents condensed and in-depth findings on a survey undertaken by the Commission on policy and legislative interventions for climate change in Kenya with a focus on Vulnerable and Marginalized Groups (VMGs) at National and County Level. The pilot survey was carried out in five counties- Makueni, Taita Taveta, Nakuru, Samburu, and Kirinyaga. The survey was meant to establish the availability and extent to which existing climate change interventions including policies, laws, programs and administrative action are conform with human rights principles and standards.
It provides a summary of key overall findings, the harms of climate change on human rights, including the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, life, highest attainable standard of health, water and sanitation, adequate food, adequate housing, land and natural resources, education, culture, work and to just and favourable conditions of work, social security, freedom and security of the person - particularly for Vulnerable and Marginalized Groups (VMGs).
The policy also outlines the importance of Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) to climate change response, emphasizing on access to information, accountability and transparency and inclusion of VMGs in climate action.
The document equally, provides targeted and actional recommendations to various actors including national and county governments, council of governors, county governments, civil society, private sector actors and members of the public. Download report.
County-Specific Human Rights and Climate Change Matrix and Justification for Selected Project Counties
The document provides a county-specific analysis of how climate change affects the realization of human rights in five counties: Makueni, Taita Taveta, Nakuru, Samburu, and Kirinyaga. Developed using a Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA), it draws on field visits, stakeholder consultations, and policy review. It highlights how climate-induced events such as floods, droughts, and displacement impact key rights including water, health, food, housing, and cultural rights - particularly for vulnerable and marginalized groups like women, children, persons with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples, and older persons. Each county presents unique challenges: Makueni excels in governance but lacks inclusive communication; Taita Taveta contends with mining-related rights tensions; Samburu faces resource conflict; Nakuru is affected by frequent displacement; and Kirinyaga struggles with water conflicts and land tenure issues. The document identifies systemic gaps and best practices, emphasizing the need for inclusive, rights-aligned climate governance that translates policy into action through HRBA principles. Download Report