Effectiveness of Kenya’s Climate Change Mitigation Strategies after the Ratification of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Protocols

Climate change is the new threat to development and environmental sustainability in the 21st Century. States after seeing the alarming effects of climate change, decided to come up with a way to deal with climate change. This saw the birth of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1992, whose ultimate objective is stabilization of the level of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere that will prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. The vulnerability of all states to the effects of climate change calls for special efforts to ease the consequences, especially in developing countries. Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement both fall under the UNFCCC.Kenya being a party to both protocols signed and ratified the Kyoto Protocol as well as the Paris Agreement and came up with climate change mitigation strategies and plans. Despite this, Kenya continues to face the adverseeffects of climate change. This study is defined by three objectives; to assess the effects of climate change in Kenya, to examine Kenya’s climate change mitigation strategies and plans and to examine the effects of ratification of the UNFCCC protocols to climate change mitigation efforts in Kenya. The study used three theories namely; Green Theory, Securitization Theory and the Regime Theory. Qualitative research approach was used to answer the research questions. The study extensively used secondary data. The study found out that Kenya has been adversely affected by climate change despite its insignificant emission of greenhouse gases. The study as well established that Kenya has been committed to the global fight against climate change, it has sent out two National Communications to the UNFCCC. The study noted that Kenya in accordance to the UNFCCC obligations, has come up with mitigation actions whose implementation is still in progress with a few being brought to completion. The study further offers recommendations from the findings and provides suggestions for further research.