Nairobi County Governor Johnson Sakaja has been elected as the Vice Chairperson of the C40 Steering Committee, the governing body providing strategic direction for the global network of nearly 100 cities committed to addressing the global climate crisis.
He was elected to represent 13 C40 cities in Africa.
Sakaja has since his election last year vowed to restore the lost glory of Nairobi that was once known as The Green City in the Sun.
Nairobi has in the recent past been plagued by a myriad of challenges among them lawlessness, congestion, and poor drainage that often leads to floods during rainy seasons.
“There is a new urgency. We need to put our heads together and figure out how to make our cities more resilient. We need to sit together to share expertise, experience, and finances so that the most vulnerable among us, and the environment are protected. And we need to do this now,” Sakaja said upon his election.
The former County Senator has committed to implement Nairobi’s climate action plan with the support from C40, and focus on developing a roadmap that will ensure the city reaches net-zero emissions, create green jobs and strengthen local resilience.
In his new role as the Vice Chairperson of the C40 Steering Committee, Sakaja will be a leading voice in encouraging African cities to work together to fast-track climate action.
He will support the building of a community of practice that will share knowledge and experience, and secure the funding needed to build climate resilience and address loss and damage associated with global heating.
C40’s member cities represent 700 million citizens and one quarter of the world’s economy.
Through collaboration and innovation, the mayors of C40 Cities are determined to deliver on the Paris Agreement’s highest ambition and keep global temperature rise to below 1.5 degrees, and to do so in an equitable way.
Sakaja has been nominated among the top 100 Future Leaders: The World’s Most Influential Young People in Government.
He has also been awarded Change Maker of the Year 2016 at the African Achievers Award in recognition of his leadership skills and youth empowerment in the country.
