Kenya: New Registry to Boost Kenya's Entry Into Global Carbon Markets

Nairobi — The government is rolling out a National Carbon Registry to strengthen national climate finance infrastructure and position the country for effective participation in global carbon markets.

The State Department for Environment and Climate Change say the registry provides a central platform to register, track, authorize and report carbon credits generated from activities such as forestry, renewable energy and land-based carbon storage.

Carbon markets allow countries and companies to earn or buy credits that represent emissions reductions, giving them a mechanism to offset their carbon output.

Until now, Kenya's carbon market lacked a unified system to manage this information and prevent the same reduction from being counted more than once a factor that has undermined confidence in carbon trading globally.

"The registry gives Kenya's green economy a digital heartbeat," said the State Department.

"It will eliminate double counting of carbon credits and ensure value from carbon trading flows back to communities and national development."

The registry is designed to ensure that each verified carbon credit meets both national and international standards, helping Kenya align with requirements under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which governs the rules for international carbon trading between countries.

By providing proof of ownership for emissions reductions, the system seeks to create a transparent and verifiable national accounting ledger that both domestic and foreign investors can trust.

The introduction of the registry follows a series of legal and policy reforms, including amendments to the Climate Change Act and new carbon market regulations that establish formal benefit-sharing mechanisms and legal pathways for carbon transactions.

Kenya could see more climate finance and investor activity in its carbon market.

Officials say that over 80 carbon project proposals were submitted before the registry's launch, and the system is intended to provide a clearer framework for tracking credits and ensuring that communities involved in emissions reduction benefit from the programs.

Read the original article on Capital FM.