KEPSA in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry organized a private sector consultative meeting on the development of a Benefit Sharing Mechanism (BSM) on February 1, 2023. The meeting was aimed at providing private sector perspectives to inform the analytical study and proposed framework parameters for the Reducing Emissions and Forest Degradation (REDD+) Benefit Sharing Mechanism.

The Benefit Sharing Mechanism is intended to ensure that REDD+ benefits are shared in Kenya in an effective, efficient, transparent, and equitable manner that fully reflects national and international requirements. The BSM should be built on and integrated with existing systems as well as other frameworks such as Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, that are under development in the country to promote the mainstreaming of environmental, climate, investment, and social pillars in policies and plans.

Mr Alfred Gichu, Head of the Directorate of Forest Conservation; and the National REDD+ Coordinator & Focal Point, at the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, and Forestry, said in his opening remarks that the ministry had embarked on developing the National Benefit Sharing Mechanism for REDD+ in Kenya in order to tap into opportunities presented by the largest REDD+ as the biggest ‘payment for ecosystem services’ (PES) in the world and related benefits using the ‘whole of society’ approach. The whole of society must approach the realization of the 15 billion targets of Kenya’s forest and landscape restoration initiative and drive climate actions around mitigation for the realization of the country’s nationally determined contribution. This mechanism will strongly inform how benefits derived from the conservation and sustainable management of forests, including carbon benefits, are shared among multiple stakeholders. The private sector was challenged to design and develop local REDD+ projects aligned with national commitments. 

The Chair of the KEPSA Environment, Water and Natural Resources Sector Board, Ms Emily Waita, appreciated the good turnout from the private sector at the meeting. The Vice Chair of the Sector Board, Dr John Wandaka, lauded the meeting as one of the sessions that will further expound the presidential target of 15 billion for the forest and landscape restoration initiative. 

Dr Robert Kibugi, the assignment's lead consultant, and the session moderator, Ms Faith Ngige of KEPSA, led the participants in contributing to the framework in seven dimensions: the nature of the benefits to be considered, both monetary and non-monetary, including carbon benefits; a review of existing private sector initiatives, programs, or projects; considerations, parameters, success, failure, and barriers encountered. The plenary discussion also focused on various forms of a benefit-sharing mechanism— the positive, negative, or neutral factors, risk factors to be considered, and the like. Some of the organizations that have implemented REDD+ and PES programs include Safaricom, Bamburi, and Ecospa Corporation Limited Kirinyaga among others. 

The next steps will be the review of options for a benefit sharing mechanism (BSM), stakeholder analysis mapping, screening the BSM with REDD+ safeguards, analysis of risk management in the BSM, and accessing the proposed BSM's fitness with Kenya’s legal and regulatory framework, which will eventually lead to the drafting of a proposed BSM for REDD+ in Kenya.