2 May 2019: The National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Global Network has published a sNAPshot country brief titled, ‘Kenya’s Monitoring and Evaluation of Adaptation: Simplified, Integrated, Multilevel.’ The brief discusses Kenya’s experience with the design of its monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system for tracking adaptation, and makes recommendations on the way forward.

The publication notes that while M&E systems to track adaptation outcomes are an important element of the NAP process, these systems are often fraught with challenges such as measuring results in situations of uncertainty, limited baseline information and data availability, and multiple scales of interventions.

The brief outlines the broad climate change policy context in Kenya, and highlights seven priority actions as identified in the country’s National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP) 2018-2022: disaster risk management (DRM); food and nutrition security; water and the blue economy; forestry, wildlife and tourism; health, sanitation and human settlements; manufacturing; and energy and transport.

The authors discuss challenges associated with the development of Kenya’s adaptation M&E system, including operationalizing data access, synthesis and reporting, and opportunities presented by efforts carried out through existing initiatives and institutions. For example, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) collects data from the public and private sectors and can thus help address data access for adaptation M&E.

Based on such opportunities, the brief notes, Kenya seeks to: develop a simple, integrated and multilevel adaptation M&E system; ensure that the M&E system is sufficiently flexible to enable compliance with domestic and international regulations; develop the adaptation M&E system in a phased approach; and use the M&E system to demonstrate that climate change adaptation actions deliver results.

On the way forward, the authors recommend that Kenya:

• Establish governance and coordination mechanisms for adaptation M&E;
• Identify measurable adaptation indicators and harmonize with existing M&E processes;
• Establish guidelines and build capacity for adaptation reporting;
• Build on established adaptation M&E systems at the county level; and
• Consider linking the adaptation M&E system with national and county M&E systems, including those tracking SDG implementation.

The NAP Global Network was established in 2014 to support developing countries in advancing their NAP processes and to help accelerate adaptation efforts around the world. The Secretariat is hosted by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). [Publication: Kenya’s Monitoring and Evaluation of Adaptation: Simplified, Integrated, Multilevel] [Publication Landing Page] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on the NAP Process at Country Level and Meeting Paris Agreement Goals]