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Africa will descend on Nairobi next month. President William Ruto will host approximately 17 heads of state for the Africa Climate Week between September 4 and September 8 and the inaugural Africa Climate Summit from September 4 to September 6.

The events that are expected to attract nearly 20,000 delegates will run concurrently at the iconic Kenya International Convention Centre.

It will be Ruto’s day in the sun as the chairman of the African President’s Caucus on climate change. The twin events are set to assemble international leaders, experts, activists and stakeholders to deliberate on strategies to combat climate issues and drive sustainable development across the continent.

The effects of climate change are blamed for severe droughts, floods, starvation, forced migration, poverty and deadly conflicts over scarce resources among African communities. The devastating effects of drought led to the death of thousands of livestock belonging to Kenyan pastoralists early in the year.

In neighbouring South Sudan, over one million people have been affected by year-on-year floods that have turned two-thirds of Africa’s youngest nation into a swampland since 2019. Homes and foods have been destroyed after the White Nile burst its banks.

The rising waters of Lake Tanganyika due to heavy rain, strong winds and landslides has displaced thousands of families in Burundi after engulfing entire roads, markets, school playgrounds and churches. The world’s second-deepest lake – and as long as 600 km – is shared between Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia and the DRC – all of which have experienced the devastation.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 2022 report, countries in West, Central and East Africa are among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. That will tell why the Nairobi summit will certainly be critical for Kenya and its neighbours.

The general thinking in Africa is that the continent contributes the least to global warming but is the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and therefore has special needs and special circumstances warranting financial support to mitigate against and adapt to climate change.

Disasters in Kenya and in its neighbours have brought home the reality of climate change and defeated the old narrative that it was a concern of the Global North.

As Ruto put it while rallying for the Nairobi summit, “Climate action is not a Global North issue or a Global South issue. “It is our collective challenge, and it affects all of us.

We need to come together to find common, global solutions.” There is a strong push by African governments to wage coordinated action– both at national and continental levels– on climate change At home, President Ruto appointed a special adviser on climate change who is said to be playing a central role in his policy decisions.

Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya has been admirably articulate, solid and on top of the job. While the President last week made an impromptu inspection of our main airport to assess its readiness to welcome the delegates, Tuya toured KICC accompanied by the Chief of Defence Forces Francis Ogolla to ensure the venue was in a tip- top condition to host the events.

One would then be understandably worried by the disturbing inertia and lethargy by the Tourism ministry. With over 20,000 visitors expected in Nairobi and over 19 Heads of State arriving in less than two weeks, it will be expected that CS Tourism Peninah Malonza would have already activated her troops to shape the narrative about Magical Kenya, pitch our beautiful destinations, sporting prowess, cultures and other products.

The climate summits should be a golden opportunity to market Kenya to the rest of Africa by telling our story of beauty and splendor. The 2022 Tourism Performance Report indicated that out of Kenya’s 30 tourist source markets, majority were from Africa.

— The writer is the Political Editor at People Daily—[email protected]