Isiolo, Kenya. A strategic meeting inside the Isiolo County Headquarters brought together senior county officials and the leadership of ASREP Africa to confront a pressing question: how can climate action in ASAL regions move from reactive aid to evidence driven, community led solutions?
Hon. Dade Boru, the Isiolo County Secretary, hosted Mr. Dida Fayo, Executive Director of ASREP Africa (ASAL Research and Resilience Programme), together with the CECM for Environment, the Director for Partnerships and other senior officials. The agenda was clear: put evidence, justice and Indigenous voices at the heart of climate decision making.
For decades, ASAL regions have carried the greatest burden of climate shocks including droughts, displacement and loss of livelihoods, while contributing very little to global emissions. Yet, Mr. Fayo noted, these communities are often excluded from climate negotiations and receive limited adaptation investment. He described the situation as both an environmental crisis and a justice crisis.
According to Mr. Fayo, climate action in ASALs is weakened by three major gaps: unreliable evidence to guide programming, minimal recognition of Indigenous knowledge and the absence of Youth and Women in planning and decision making. He attributed 80 to 90 percent of current vulnerabilities in ASAL counties to these gaps, calling it climate injustice sustained by silence.
The meeting also reviewed active interventions led by ASREP Africa. One of the flagship initiatives is the Waso Eco-Champs Project, implemented in partnership with the Kenya Forest Service and the Ministry of Education, which nurtures environmental stewardship among learners while restoring ecological corridors along the Waso River ecosystem. ASREP is also advancing bio-wealth and food security initiatives focused on regenerative land use and community centered conservation.
Hon. Boru, speaking on behalf of H.E. Governor Abdi Ibrahim Guyo, praised ASREP’s approach as development driven by local realities rather than external assumptions. He reaffirmed the County Government’s full support and approved ASREP Africa’s formal admission into the Isiolo County Steering Group, the highest coordination platform for development and emergency response in the county.
For Isiolo, this partnership represents a shift from being a passive recipient of aid to becoming a coauthor of climate solutions. Communities that were once overlooked are now central to decision making.
