Ladies and Gentlemen,

Distinguished Guests, Partners, and My Fellow Citizens,

Good morning.

Today, we gather with pride, with purpose, and with hope. Pride in how far we have come in our collective efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change. Purpose in the actions we must take to build resilient, empowered communities. And hope, hope in what we can achieve when we stand together, united in vision and resolve.

This occasion marks a significant milestone for our county as we officially launch the distribution of climate change programme items under the Financing Locally Led Climate Action (FLLoCCA) initiative. This is more than a distribution exercise, it is a declaration of intent. It is about building resilience, uplifting communities, and ensuring that no one is left behind as we adapt to the realities of a changing climate.

Through FLLoCCA, we are not waiting for change, we are driving it. We are not spectators, we are actors. We will act. We will adapt. We will thrive.

Just days ago, I had the honour of representing Meru County at the African Climate Summit in Ethiopia. There, Meru stood tall. We showcased our success stories; real, impactful, and community-driven climate actions that are transforming lives at the grassroots. Our strong presence at the summit affirmed Meru’s leadership in climate resilience, clean energy, and green economic growth.

As your Governor, I made a passionate appeal to development partners and climate finance institutions to scale up their support to county governments. Because when we empower communities directly, we accelerate climate resilience and sustainable development.

The summit opened new doors; partnerships for clean cooking energy solutions to reduce emissions and protect our forests; access to international and regional markets for our climate-smart produce; and strengthened ties with key climate finance institutions to scale up county-level interventions. When that is actualized, the lives of our people transformed for better.

The networks and knowledge gained will fast-track our efforts in climate adaptation, clean cooking adoption, and market access, advancing a more sustainable and climate-resilient Meru.

My administration continues to seek partners because we understand this truth: Environment is our foundation. Water is our lifeline. Agriculture is our sustenance. These pillars are deeply interconnected, when one suffers, all are at risk.

Today, the effects of climate change are no longer distant, they are here with us. We face longer droughts, heavier floods, and unpredictable seasons. Rivers are drying, soils are weakening, and harvests are shrinking. When rains fail, our food suffers. When taps run dry, our families suffer. This directly affects the quality of life for our people.

To those eventualities, we must respond with urgency and wisdom. We must embrace climate-smart agriculture.<