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The establishment of the Mombasa Smart and Sustainable City Forum (MSCF) is one of the many achievements of the Smart and Sustainable Cities program implemented by COMRED. MSCF is a multi-stakeholder platform that enhances collaboration between the national, county government agencies and non-governmental organizations. This forum brings together these stakeholders to resolve issues facing coastal cities in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region.
Pedestrian-friendly infrastructure to reduce carbon emissions.
COMRED, in partnership with the Mombasa Walk Movement and Change.org, advocated for the establishment of pedestrian-friendly infrastructure that supports walking and other non-motorized means of transport such as cycling and car free days within the city.
We supported a successful online petition through which we collected over 1000 signatures that culminated in the handover of the city residents' memorandum to the Governor of Mombasa, Hon. Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir.
This memorandum, was tabled in the national senate by the Mombasa senator, Hon. Mohamed Faki for debate.
By encouraging walking and investing in pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, we can reduce carbon emissions, reduce traffic congestion, and create a more sustainable city in the face of climate change.
Safeguarding natural resources in coastal cities: Celebrating World Sea Turtle Day
Mombasa, second-largest city in Kenya, is located along the Kenyan coast. This unique location makes it vulnerable to the effects of human encroachment, pollution and mega infrastructural development projects.
Guided by our goal: Improved governance and management of coastal and marine resources in coastal communities and cities and United Nations SDG goal 14 (life below water), we address challenges facing natural resources such as soil, water and living things and World Sea Turtle Day was an excellent opportunity to advance these goals.
On June 16, 2023, COMRED together with partners under the Mombasa Smart and Sustainable City Forum (MSCF) teamed up to commemorate World Sea Turtle Day at Nyali beach which is in close proximity to the Mombasa Marine park.
Spearheaded by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife, and Heritage, this occasion was filled with awe-inspiring activities aimed at raising awareness on the importance of protecting sea turtles, and keeping the marine environment free of plastic and solid waste.
The highlight of this event was witnessing the release of 108 endangered green sea turtle hatchlings from their nesting sites into the ocean, followed by a beach clean-up led by Hon. Wilson Sossion, Tourism Chief Administrative Secretary.
Combating desertification one tree at a time
The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, initiated by the United Nations, aims to raise awareness about the degradation of dry lands that leads to the loss of vegetation. Desertification can cause high cost of living, water scarcity, and pollution from dust particles carried by the wind. To combat this, COMRED together with other partners planted over 100 indigenous trees at Bamburi Nature Trails, a recreational park in Mombasa, under the theme "Her Land, Her Right."
This event brought together people of all ages and backgrounds to share knowledge and take action to slow down desertification. The selected tree species have a high survival rate in the coastal region i.e. the Tamarind monkey pod rain tree (Albizia saman), African sausage tree or Muratina (Kigelia Africanam), Pod mahogany (Afzelia quazensis), African false wattle (Peltohorum africanum), Flame Tree (Delonix regia), Drumstick tree or Moringa (Moringa oleifera). Replanting trees will also increase forest cover in the city and help mitigate the urban heat island effect, creating a sustainable and smart city.
The Mombasa Climate Action Planning
One of the contributions of the COMRED Smart Cities Program through the Mijibora project was the development and passing of The Mombasa Climate Change Policy 2021. The policy is tailored to the specific requirements of a fast-growing coastal city. It has provided guidance for the integration of climate change concerns in county activities and planning processes and the basis for the development of the Mombasa Climate Change Action Plan.
We have previously done the preliminary stakeholder engagement to discuss the climate actions we did in partnership with the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) and the County Government of Mombasa.
This process has since been taken up by partners after receiving The World Bank funding and technical support from the Kenya Climate Change Working Group to continue the climate action planning process for Mombasa. This year our team has been engaged in three stakeholder engagements during the Action planning. The planning follows the thematic areas of focus that we developed for the Climate Change Policy 2021.
The Action Planning is therefore a product of the climate change policy, which was premised on the background knowledge and findings from the Mijibora Situational Assessment, Stakeholder Analysis and Engagement process with close collaborations of the County Government of Mombasa national, regional, and international partners including the National Climate Change Directorate, CORDIO, AGENES, WIOMSA and The Stimson's Centre among many.
