Climate change is simply the long-term alteration of global temperatures and weather patterns. In recent decades, these shifts have intensified, exposing societies to extreme weather events and escalating the costs of infrastructure repairs, machinery replacements, investment losses, and operational disruptions.

This raises a crucial question: Why has the uptake of climate adaptation and resilience strategies been slow among Kenyan businesses?

Kenya, like many other nations, is increasingly vulnerable to climate-related risks. Seasonal flooding and prolonged droughts have become frequent, revealing the country’s exposure to the negative impacts of climate change.

While this slow uptake may be attributed to a combination of alarmism, limited awareness, low stakeholder pressure, absence of institutional alignment and political coherence, regulatory uncertainty, and a lack of enforceable guidelines, the reality remains: climate change amplifies existing risks, and adaptation must be woven into every business’s strategic decision-making process.

One of the most immediate risks is supply chain disruption. Kenya’s supply chains are critical to economic stability and regional competitiveness, particularly in sectors such as agriculture, tourism, and manufacturing.

Agriculture alone accounts for 30 per cent of Kenya’s GDP alone. Overall, these industries rely heavily on natural capital resources that are very sensitive to the effects of climate change.

The financial sector is also facing increased loan defaults, inflationary pressure, and asset devaluation due to physical and transitional climate risks.

Adaptation and resilience have emerged as vital responses to these mounting threats. Adaptation involves proactive measures to transform infrastructure, operations, and decision-making to reduce vulnerability to climate-related risks.

It builds flexibility and improves organisational responsiveness. Resilience, on the other hand, is the capacity to anticipate, absorb, and recover from climate-related disruptions.

When implemented together, adaptation and resilience strategies enable businesses to withstand and grow in the face of climate uncertainty.

Of course, because of this realisation, there are a number of practical options that present themselves as strategies for businesses that want to strengthen their adaptation and resilience.

Innovation and technologies are the most disruptive, giving businesses the flexibility to develop solutions that are tailored to their specific needs.

However, the cost of transition remains a major barrier to future-proofing our Kenyan businesses. Shifting from conventional to climate-responsive business models requires investments in new systems, new technologies, specialised talent, and capacity-building – resources that many firms are hesitant to allocate.

As a result, many continue to operate under the status quo and struggle to commit to climate resilience initiatives. Yet, this mindset is changing. Global and regional adaptation financing flows are steadily increasing, driven by shared commitments between developing and developed economies to scale resilience-building efforts.

The path forward is clear: Kenyan businesses must integrate the concepts of climate adaptation and resilience into their core strategies.

Climate risk and resilience planning must begin in the boardroom and at key decision-making platforms, and then cascade through institutional culture and operational practices.

In the absence of attractive incentives and with climate resilience and adaptation often perceived as elusive, inaction is not a neutral stance; it is a risky and expensive gamble.  

The writer is an ESG & corporate sustainability Adviser.