At the sidelines of the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP 30) in Belém, Brazil, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, Dr. Deborah Mlongo Barasa, met Conservation International leaders, Ms. Patricia Zurita Serrano and Ms. Florence Laloe, to strengthen collaboration on expanding Kenya’s participation in carbon markets while ensuring rigorous integrity, accurate impact measurement and clear community benefits.
The meeting also reviewed progress on the Kenya–Singapore bilateral agreement, which has now moved into its final negotiation stage.
The legal conclusion is expected in the first quarter of 2026, with a Singaporean delegation scheduled to visit Kenya in the last week of January 2026.
As the agreement nears completion, focus is shifting to developing a strong and credible pipeline of projects under the cooperation framework.
The Cabinet Secretary, emphasised that enhanced institutional capacity is central to Kenya’s strategy for effective carbon market implementation, saying the country aims to build “stronger systems and clearer structures to ensure integrity and transparency across the market.”
Conservation International will work alongside the Global Green Growth Institute’s Kenya Fast-Track Readiness Project to support this transition.
A draft Article 6/Carbon Markets Strategy, expected in January 2026, will guide technical implementation and clarify institutional roles across Kenya’s carbon market ecosystem.
Highlighting practical progress on the ground, CS Barasa pointed to the Mara Project as a key pilot demonstrating community-level benefits in carbon initiatives.
She also outlined Kenya’s broader ambition to accelerate tropical forest restoration and proposed a South–South learning exchange drawing from conservation models in the Amazon.
Conservation International welcomed the proposal and affirmed continued partnership as Kenya moves ahead with project development, strategy finalisation, and preparations for the Singapore delegation’s visit.
Dr. Barasa was accompanied by Dr. Pacifica Ogola, Director of Climate Change at the Ministry of Environment.
