CoG calls for clear plan to transition from coal, oil, and gas to renewable energy

The Council of Governors has called for an urgent need for a coordinated and funded plan to equitably transition away from coal, oil, and gas, while ensuring that developing countries receive the financial and technical support necessary to power our transition toward renewable, resilient, and diversified economies.

Chair of County Executive Committee Members in Charge of Energy, Transport & Infrastructure, Martin Maseghe, said that for Kenya, climate change is a daily reality, from devastating floods tearing through our communities and infrastructure, to declining farm yields due to erratic rainfall, to rising sea levels eroding our coasts and livelihoods. The evidence is all around us.

Maseghe told a Consultative Meeting on Just Energy Transition, the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative, and County Energy Planning that, under the leadership of President William Ruto, the country has taken bold steps to place climate action at the centre of our national agenda with the goal of 100 per cent renewable energy by 2035.

“On behalf of the Council of Governors, we add our collective voice to the 145 subnational governments around the world supporting the call for a Fossil Fuel Treaty. We know that international cooperation, grounded in global justice and equity, is essential to deliver a just transition that truly benefits our communities, our economies, and our ecosystems,” said Maseghe.

 He told the forum that our fiscal space is captured across our continent; nations spend more on debt servicing than on health, education, or climate resilience. Kenya is no exception. With public debt surpassing Sh 11 trillion, severely constraining our national budget, this unjust imbalance limits our ability to invest in renewable energy, climate adaptation, and green industrialisation.

The Council of Governors is calling for fair finance and debt justice because without addressing these structural barriers, a just transition will remain out of reach and is within this context that they are proud to host the convention to explore pathways for a truly just transition that reflects the needs of our communities, counties, country and continent, including the proposal for a Fossil Fuel Treaty.

Maseghe told the forum that the proposal for a Fossil Fuel Treaty is intended to fill a crucial gap in global climate governance, complementing the Paris Agreement by addressing the root cause of the climate crisis, coal, oil, and gas, and by creating a pathway for international cooperation to deliver a fair, fast, and financed transition.

Eva Sawe, who is the Political Advocacy Lead on Fossil Fuels, told the forum that the fact that 600 million people in Africa are facing energy poverty and nearly one billion people inhaling toxic fumes from dirty cooking methods is a clear indication that the continued extraction of fossil fuels has failed to power our continent. In stark contrast to the unjust fossil fuel entrapment of our continent, Kenya stands as a beacon of hope in the renewable energy revolution. 

“Kenya has made tremendous strides in establishing a robust legal and policy framework to phase out fossil fuels and anchor a sustainable and clean energy future. From the passing of the National Energy Policy (2025–2034), which prioritises an equitable transition and universal access by 2030, to the Energy Transition and Investment Plan (ETIP), Climate Change Act, National Cooking Transition Strategy, and the recently launched National Energy Compact supporting the global Mission 300 project to expand clean energy access,” said Sawe.

Amos Wemanya, who is a Senior Climate Advisor, Power Shift Africa, told the forum that Fossil fuels, coal, oil, and gas are responsible for over 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90% of carbon dioxide emissions. When we burn them, we release carbon dioxide and methane, heat-trapping gases that accumulate in the atmosphere.

Wemanya said that here in Kenya, we are living the consequences: intensifying droughts, devastating floods, damaged infrastructure, and disrupted agriculture, and that this is not just an environmental crisis, it is a development crisis, as the fossil fuel–based energy system was never designed to deliver our energy sovereignty.

“It was structured during colonial and post-colonial eras to extract raw materials, export value, and centralise profits outside our continent. Profits are externalized, while our communities absorb pollution, health impacts, displacement, and fiscal instability. Today, climate devastation is costing 3-5% of our GDP,” said Wemanya.