Kenya on Monday launched a national carbon registry designed to support “high-integrity” carbon credits and to strengthen confidence as scrutiny of climate offset markets intensifies worldwide, according to a Nairobi government unveiling by the Ministry of Environment and the National Environment Management Authority.
The registry, the government said, is intended to serve as the central platform for tracking carbon credit projects and for verifying emissions reductions. Officials said it is meant to address double counting, a problem that they said has undermined trust in carbon markets in the past, by providing a single system for accounting and transfers.
Kenyan officials said the registry comes at a time when developing countries are seeking a larger share of climate financing through carbon trading under rules tied to the Paris Climate agreement. Under the Paris accord, countries work to keep global temperature increases “well below” 2 degrees Celsius and “endeavor to limit” warming further to 1.5 degrees Celsius, according to the terms described in the government briefing.
Kenya’s government said the country’s forests and other carbon-related resources give it potential in international carbon markets. It said the registry is also aimed at helping ensure local communities benefit alongside investors, as Kenya tries to attract foreign investment while addressing concerns that earlier offset efforts did not deliver adequate governance or benefits.
Environment Cabinet Secretary Deborah Mlongo said the launch was meant to shift perceptions of carbon credit markets. “This launch sends a clear signal to investors and the international community,” Mlongo said, adding that Kenya is “ready to participate in global carbon markets with transparency, integrity and strong governance.”
The government said the registry will include processes for project approvals, tracking emissions reductions and authorizing carbon credit transfers. Kenya’s officials also said the registry will help the country comply with international trading rules on how emissions reductions can be transferred between countries without being counted twice.
Kenya’s Special Climate Envoy Ali Mohamed said the registry would underpin market operations. “This registry becomes the backbone of an efficient market,” Mohamed said, describing it as a tool to enable tracking of projects, issuance of units and adjustments that Mohamed said would strengthen trust in Kenya as a carbon-market jurisdiction.
Environment Principal Secretary Festus Ng’eno said the system is designed to ensure carbon trading benefits communities as well as investors. He said the effort was part of broader work to build African institutions able to attract climate finance while protecting national and local interests, adding that communities—particularly those who conserve and protect Kenya’s forests—should be “recognized and equitably” benefit.
Kenya also said the registry will connect to a forestry carbon registry launched last year to support the country’s tree-growing program. Germany provided financial and technical support for the national registry through its development agency, GIZ, and announced an additional 2.4 million euros ($2.6 million) to strengthen Kenya’s carbon-market readiness, officials said.
Analysts cited by the government said centralized national registries are critical for carbon markets because they have faced increasing scrutiny over “questionable credits” and standards that differ across programs. Kenya’s officials said the national carbon registry is expected to become fully operational this year.