GCA Unveils Toolkit to Empower Kenya’s Urban Governments for Climate Risk–Informed Planning
R
otterdam, the Netherlands, 8 December 2025 – The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) has unveiled the Urban Climate Risk Profile Preparation Guidelines and a companion template designed to help Kenya’s urban governments complete credible rapid climate risk assessments in-house. Paired with a national, hands-on training held on 22–23 September 2025 and three online sessions in October and November, the materials support cities to prepare Urban Climate Risk Profiles required under the Second Kenya Urban Support Program (KUSP2)—a key step to unlock performance-based Urban Development Grants (UDGs).
Kenya’s secondary cities face mounting climate pressures, yet many local authorities lack the technical resources to turn climate information into actionable plans. GCA’s new guidance addresses this capacity gap with a replicable, step-by-step methodology built on globally available datasets and free online tools, ensuring consistent and comparable assessments across municipalities.
“GCA’s support equipped our urban authorities with the technical confidence to carry out credible rapid climate risk assessments,” said Plan. Solomon Ambwere, Director Urban Governance, Management and Resilience at the State Department for Housing and Urban Development (SDHUD). “It ensures that cities and municipalities have the local capacity to integrate understanding of climate risks into their planning processes.”
Around 150 officials from 68 of Kenya’s 79 urban areas participating in KUSP2 took part in the two-day, hands-on training, jointly organized with the State Department for Housing and Urban Development (SDHUD) and the Council of Governors (CoG), supporting the use of the guidelines. Over 90 percent of participants rated the course highly relevant and effective for strengthening their ability to prepare rapid climate risk assessments and compile Urban Climate Risk Profiles.
“We appreciate GCA and all KUSP2 partners for providing this invaluable opportunity to strengthen our capacity in developing a comprehensive Urban Climate Risk Profile,” said Antonio Gikonyo Kariuki, Senior Environment Officer at the Kerugoya/Kutus Municipality. “This training marks a significant step toward building resilient and sustainable urban systems for our urban areas.”
The training and guidance materials form part of GCA’s technical assistance for the implementation of KUSP2. GCA continued supporting urban authorities officials through follow-up online peer-learning sessions, as they apply the methodology in their local contexts. By strengthening local capacity for climate risk–informed planning, this initiative helps ensure that Kenya’s cities can design, prioritize, and implement resilient urban investments that respond to their unique climate challenges.
Access the materials:
