Kenya Unveils Africa’s First REDD+ Carbon Credit Registry, Advancing Climate Finance and Forest Conservation -

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By James Nyaigoti,

In a move for climate action in Africa, Kenya has officially launched its first-ever REDD+ Registry and National Nesting Guidelines on World Conservation Day. The initiative, supported by the UK and Conservation International, positions Kenya as the continent’s first country to adopt a centralized platform for monitoring and managing emissions reductions through forest conservation efforts.

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The launch event, held in Nairobi, was attended by key dignitaries including Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change, and Forestry Dr. Deborah M. Barasa, Principal Secretary Gitonga Mugambi, the British High Commissioner, and several stakeholders from the conservation and development sectors.

The newly launched REDD+ Registry part of Kenya’s broader climate strategy provides a digital system for tracking, verifying, and managing carbon credits from REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) initiatives. It aims to strengthen transparency, prevent double counting, and ensure compliance with national climate policies such as the Climate Change (Amendment) Act, 2023, and Carbon Market Regulations, 2024.

Dr. Barasa described the registry as a major step toward improving forest governance and unlocking access to international climate finance, saying: “These tools demonstrate Kenya’s commitment to transparency, environmental responsibility, and community-centered conservation.”

The accompanying Nesting Guidelines provide a policy framework for aligning individual REDD+ projects with Kenya’s national carbon accounting system.

The registry is being implemented with technical assistance from Conservation International and financial support from UK PACT, with the UK hosting the platform for the next two years as Kenya builds its local systems.

This launch comes just weeks after President William Ruto and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer elevated climate and nature as a key pillar of the UK-Kenya Strategic Partnership.

A British envoy called the registry a “symbol of strong bilateral cooperation” and a testament to Kenya’s leadership in climate innovation.

Dr. Seif Hamisi, head of Conservation International – East Africa, highlighted the registry’s role in enhancing accountability and attracting global investment in sustainable forest management.

Kenya’s REDD+ Registry opens the door to carbon trading opportunities under both voluntary markets and compliance mechanisms like the Paris Agreement’s Article 6. It is expected to boost climate financing, support green employment, and create new revenue streams for Indigenous communities and conservation stakeholders.

Core benefits include:

Improved transparency in carbon credit tracking

Secure and equitable benefit-sharing mechanisms

Strengthened monitoring of Kenya’s climate targets, including FREL, NFMS, and SIS

As the first African nation and second globally to roll out such a platform, Kenya is setting a precedent for the continent on how to harness carbon markets and protect forest ecosystems through credible, transparent systems.

The registry is anticipated to go live by the second quarter of 2025, providing a full lifecycle tracking system for REDD+ carbon credits and driving climate resilience across Kenya.