By Kepher Otieno - Reporter
Kenya, 25 May 2026 - A Senate oversight mission into climate resilience projects in Kisumu County has exposed growing concerns over the implementation, environmental safety and accountability of multimillion-shilling initiatives funded under the Financing Locally Led Climate Action (FLLOCA) programme.
The concerns emerged after the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Budget conducted an inspection tour of selected projects in flood-prone parts of Kisumu, including Nyando, amid mounting scrutiny over whether devolved climate funds are delivering meaningful impact to vulnerable communities.
Led by Committee Chairperson Ali Roba, the delegation carried out spot checks on projects jointly financed by the World Bank and the Kisumu County Government under a programme designed to strengthen local climate resilience and disaster preparedness.
The Senate team had earlier conducted similar inspections in Vihiga County before proceeding to Kisumu as part of a wider national oversight exercise covering all 47 counties benefiting from FLLOCA funding.
But even before the assessment process is concluded, senators admitted they had already encountered worrying gaps in some of the projects inspected.
“Our objective is to assess whether the projects have taken place, whether there is value for money, and whether the projects are fit for purpose in serving the population they were intended for,” Roba told journalists after the inspection tour.
The remarks signalled deepening concern within the Senate over the effectiveness of some county-implemented climate programmes despite the billions of shillings already committed under donor-backed climate financing initiatives across the country.
According to the committee, the sampled Kisumu projects form part of an estimated KSh 300 million investment under the FLLOCA framework, with donors contributing approximately KSh 206 million while the county government provides counterpart funding estimated at about Sh100 million.
The programme was introduced to help counties respond to the growing threat of climate-related disasters including floods, drought, soil erosion and environmental degradation which continue to devastate vulnerable communities across Kenya.
In Kisumu, where recurrent flooding in Nyando and surrounding lowlands has displaced thousands of families over the years, the projects were expected to strengthen flood mitigation systems, environmental protection and community resilience.
However, senators now say some of the inspected projects may not be fully meeting those expectations.
“We have noticed that some projects have serious design and implementation challenges. At this stage, we cannot give a final verdict because the assessment process is still ongoing,” Roba said.
The committee clarified that only random sampling was conducted due to the large number of projects spread across the county, but senators indicated that the preliminary findings had already raised enough concern to warrant deeper scrutiny and additional documentation from the county government.
Behind the technical audit lies a much larger political and governance question increasingly confronting devolution in Kenya.
More than a decade after the introduction of county governments, oversight agencies are facing growing pressure to demonstrate whether billions allocated to counties are genuinely transforming communities or merely creating expensive layers of bureaucracy vulnerable to mismanagement and poor project execution.
Roba said the Senate’s constitutional role goes beyond allocating resources to counties and extends to protecting devolution itself from inefficiency, wastage and misuse of public funds.
More from Kenya
“We are here to protect devolution from itself by ensuring monies allocated for certain projects are used appropriately,” he said.
But perhaps the most explosive concern raised during the tour came from Boni Khalwale, who described one of the inspected sites as a potential environmental and public health crisis.
Khalwale alleged that the committee discovered raw sewer flowing into River Nyando near one of the flood control structures inspected during the visit.
According to the senator, the very infrastructure intended to strengthen climate resilience had instead allegedly become a conduit for untreated waste draining into freshwater sources used by surrounding communities.
“It is completely contrary to what FLLOCA was intended to achieve. The county government of Kisumu should immediately rectify the issue of raw sewer draining into freshwater,” Khalwale said.
His remarks dramatically escalated the political and environmental implications of the Senate probe.
Environmental experts have long warned that pollution of freshwater sources around Lake Victoria and river systems in western Kenya poses serious health risks including waterborne diseases, ecosystem destruction and contamination of fishing zones critical to local livelihoods.
Khalwale further warned that failure to urgently address the situation could expose the county government to possible legal action from affected residents.
The delegation also included Vice Chairperson Tabitha Mutinda, Essy Okenyuri and Mariam Omar.
The committee is now expected to retreat and analyse all collected findings, project documents and technical submissions before compiling a formal report on the effectiveness and accountability of the FLLOCA projects in Kisumu County.
For residents living along Nyando’s flood-prone zones, however, the investigation goes beyond financial audits and political oversight.
It is ultimately about whether climate resilience projects meant to protect vulnerable communities are truly delivering safety, environmental protection and hope — or merely becoming another costly promise struggling to survive the realities of implementation.
Senators Raise Alarm Over Kisumu Climate Projects as Questions Emerge on Value for Money
FLLOCA projects under scrutiny as senators cite design failures in Kisumu
Ad
Ad