Kenya has introduced new regulations to guide climate action outside carbon trading, creating a system through which government agencies, communities, businesses and other stakeholders can work together on projects that cut climate risks while supporting sustainable development.
The Climate Change Act (Non-Market Approaches) Regulations, 2026 set out how non-market climate initiatives will be developed, coordinated, implemented and monitored in line with Kenya’s commitments under the Paris Agreement and its nationally determined contributions (NDCs).
The State Department for Environment and Climate Change said in an update on X on Friday that the regulations provide a framework for implementing and coordinating non-market approaches to climate change.
Unlike carbon markets, where emissions reductions can be traded or transferred, non-market approaches rely on cooperation, policies and programmes that deliver climate and development benefits without carbon-credit transactions.
Kenya’s Climate Change Act defines non-market approaches as mechanisms that seek to raise ambition on climate mitigation and adaptation, increase participation by the public and private sectors in implementing NDCs and improve coordination between relevant institutions and climate instruments.
The new regulations give effect to Kenya’s participation in non-market approaches under Article 6.8 of the Paris Agreement, which promotes integrated and balanced forms of international cooperation on climate action.
Environment and Climate Change Principal Secretary Festus Ng’eno said the framework is intended to promote innovative, inclusive and sustainable climate solutions while supporting climate resilience and socio-economic transformation.
A key part of the regulations is the creation of a National Non-Market Approaches Platform, which will provide a framework for identifying and implementing priority climate interventions.
The regulations also establish procedures through which proposed initiatives will be submitted and assessed against set criteria before implementation. Their progress will then be tracked and reported.
The priority areas include measures to strengthen climate adaptation and resilience, cut emissions, expand clean energy and support the restoration of ecosystems.
The framework also gives a major role to different groups involved in climate action. It provides for greater participation by government and private-sector institutions, civil society organisations and local communities in implementing Kenya’s climate commitments.
Climate initiatives covered by the regulations will also be required to take human rights and environmental integrity into account during their design and implementation.
The framework further recognises gender equality and the rights of marginalised groups, children and young people, placing inclusion among the considerations for climate action.
The government expects the new approach to strengthen cooperation in areas such as climate finance, technology transfer and capacity building, which are important to developing countries working to implement their NDCs.
The regulations also introduce provisions for monitoring, reporting and evaluating non-market climate actions, while providing for coordination between government institutions and other partners involved in the initiatives.
The new rules will operate alongside Kenya’s existing climate regulations, including the Climate Change (Carbon Markets) Regulations, 2024, which provide the framework for carbon-market projects and activities.
This creates separate avenues for climate action, allowing Kenya to pursue emissions reduction and adaptation through carbon-market mechanisms as well as policies, programmes and other forms of cooperation that do not involve carbon-credit transactions.
The government expects the non-market framework to bring climate mitigation and adaptation closer together while advancing sustainable development, strengthening resilience and protecting the environment as Kenya moves towards a low-carbon economy.