Nairobi — Kenya has enacted a new law establishing the Kenya Meteorological Service Authority, creating a comprehensive framework to regulate and coordinate meteorological services in the country while aligning with global aviation and scientific standards.
President William Ruto signed the Meteorology Act, 2023 into law at State House Nairobi on Friday.
The legislation was among three bills approved during the signing ceremony.
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State House said the new law establishes a legislative framework to regulate meteorological services in Kenya and to coordinate and monitor their delivery across national and county governments.
"The law also ensures that Kenya complies with international standards and obligations governing meteorological services under the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO," State House said.
Under the Act, the newly created authority will serve as the principal technical adviser to both national and county governments on weather and climate matters.
WTO alignment
The authority will be responsible for establishing and maintaining meteorological management systems for data processing, analysis, forecasting, and archiving.
It will also prepare and disseminate weather forecasts, issue advisories and warnings to support disaster risk reduction through early warning systems, and develop training curricula in meteorology aligned with international standards.
The authority will further be tasked with registering weather stations used for meteorological data collection and coordinating research and development in the field.
The legislation also creates a Meteorology Training and Research Directorate, which will succeed the Institute for Meteorological Training and Research.
The directorate will operate as a designated regional training centre of the World Meteorological Organization, offering certificates, diplomas, and professional courses in meteorology, operational hydrology, and related sciences.
In addition, the Act empowers the authority to identify sites for meteorological observation stations and enter into agreements with landowners for the use of their property for observation purposes.
The law also introduces intellectual property protections covering data, advisory services, inventions, and innovations generated by the authority.
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Officials said the Act outlines offences related to interference with meteorological infrastructure or services, aimed at safeguarding the effective delivery of weather and climate information.
The government said the reforms are intended to strengthen weather forecasting, climate monitoring, and disaster preparedness in Kenya while ensuring compliance with international aviation and oceanographic standards.
