10 Ways Joel Tanui Is Helping Kenya Prepare for Climate Change

For decades, agriculture was built around a familiar rhythm. Farmers waited for the rains, planted when the seasons arrived, and harvested when nature allowed. That rhythm is becoming increasingly uncertain. Droughts last longer. Rainfall patterns are less predictable. Floods destroy infrastructure and wash away livelihoods. The challenge facing Kenya is no longer simply producing more food. It is building systems that can continue producing food despite a changing climate.

This is why the conversation around irrigation, land restoration and climate resilience has become central to Kenya's development agenda.

At the State Department for Irrigation, Joel Tanui occupies a position directly linked to this challenge. He serves as Secretary responsible for Land Reclamation, Climate Resilience and Irrigation Water Management, a role that places him within the government's efforts to restore degraded landscapes, strengthen water management systems and improve resilience against climate shocks. 

His work represents a broader shift in how Kenya views climate adaptation. Climate resilience is no longer only about conservation. It is also about ensuring that land remains productive, water is available when needed, and communities have the capacity to withstand environmental pressures.

1. Turning Land Reclamation Into a Climate Strategy

One of the most important ideas behind Kenya's climate response is that degraded land is not simply an environmental problem. It is also an economic challenge.

When land loses productivity, communities lose opportunities. Agricultural output declines, livelihoods become more vulnerable and pressure increases on already limited natural resources.

The State Department for Irrigation's Land Reclamation, Ecosystem Restoration and Management Directorate is mandated to design and implement land reclamation programmes, develop water storage and flood control structures, and improve the productivity of degraded lands through water harvesting and irrigation. 

This approach changes the traditional perception of climate action. Restoration is not only about protecting landscapes. It is about rebuilding their economic value.

Under Tanui's docket, land reclamation is connected to a practical question: how can areas affected by degradation become productive again?

The answer lies in combining science, infrastructure and community participation.

2. Making Water Security a Foundation of Climate Resilience

For Kenya, climate change is largely experienced through water.

Too little water creates drought. Too much water creates floods. Both situations damage livelihoods when communities lack systems to manage these extremes.

This is why water storage, irrigation and flood mitigation are central to the climate resilience mandate within the State Department for Irrigation. The department's climate resilience functions include developing policies, strategies and programmes for climate adaptation while supporting interventions that improve community resilience and food security. 

Tanui's role places him at the centre of this intersection between water and climate.

The objective is not simply to increase irrigation acreage. It is to create systems where water becomes a reliable resource rather than a seasonal uncertainty.

Kenya's climate future will depend heavily on its ability to capture water during periods of abundance and use it efficiently during periods of scarcity.

3. Building Climate Resilience Where It Matters Most

Kenya's climate challenge is not evenly distributed. The greatest pressure is often felt in the arid and semi-arid lands, where prolonged droughts, declining water availability and land degradation have become part of everyday life. These regions support millions of people whose livelihoods depend on farming and livestock, yet they are among the most vulnerable to changing weather patterns.

Joel Tanui's work increasingly focuses on shifting this narrative. Rather than treating ASAL areas as permanent recipients of emergency relief, the State Department for Irrigation is promoting long-term investments that improve resilience through irrigation, water management and land restoration. That philosophy was evident in June 2025 when Tanui hosted a delegation from Mercy Corps to explore collaboration under the National Irrigation Sector Investment Plan (NISIP). The discussions centred on revitalising irrigation in ASAL regions, strengthening community-managed irrigation schemes and creating programmes that improve market access, financial inclusion and climate resilience for smallholder farmers. 

That approach reflects an important evolution in climate policy. Drought may be a natural phenomenon, but vulnerability is not. Communities become more resilient when they have reliable access to water, stronger local institutions and productive land that can sustain livelihoods even when rainfall becomes unpredictable.

4. Helping Move Climate Resilience From Policy to Law

Policies can outline ambitions, but legislation gives those ambitions permanence.

One of the most significant recent developments linked to Joel Tanui's docket is the proposed Land Reclamation Bill, 2026, which seeks to establish Kenya's first comprehensive legal framework dedicated to restoring degraded land and preventing further degradation. Tanui, in his capacity as Irrigation Secretary for Land Reclamation, Climate Resilience and Irrigation Water Management, led the committee that briefed Cabinet Secretary Eng. Eric Mugaa on the draft legislation.

The proposed law is broader than environmental conservation. It aims to support Kenya's land degradation neutrality commitments while strengthening food security, improving water security, promoting sustainable land management and establishing institutional and financing mechanisms to support restoration programmes. If enacted, it would provide a coordinated legal foundation for ecosystem restoration efforts across the country. 

Climate resilience often receives attention after disasters occur. Laws such as the proposed Land Reclamation Bill represent a different philosophy. They seek to reduce future vulnerability before it becomes a crisis. That preventive approach is becoming increasingly important as climate risks intensify.

5. Bringing Technical Knowledge Into Climate Leadership

Climate adaptation is not simply an environmental discussion. It requires an understanding of agriculture, water resources, land management and rural development.

Joel Tanui's professional background reflects that multidisciplinary perspective. Publicly available profiles indicate that he holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Nairobi and a Master of Science in Agricultural Production Chain Management from Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. His professional development also includes specialised training in irrigation development, water resources management and agricultural value chains.

Those qualifications matter because Kenya's climate response depends on practical implementation as much as policy. Restoring degraded land, improving irrigation efficiency and strengthening water management all require technical decisions with long-term consequences. Professional expertise helps bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and public policy.

That background also helps explain why many of Tanui's engagements combine field inspections with policy discussions. Climate resilience is ultimately measured not by strategy documents but by functioning irrigation systems, restored landscapes and farming communities that can continue producing despite increasingly uncertain weather.

6. Keeping Climate Policy Grounded in the Field

One characteristic of Joel Tanui's recent work has been his regular participation in field visits to irrigation and land management projects across the country. These engagements are more than ceremonial inspections. They provide an opportunity to assess implementation, identify emerging challenges and engage directly with local stakeholders.

Recent visits have included inspections of irrigation projects in counties such as Nyandarua, where national officials reviewed micro-irrigation initiatives designed to support households through reliable water supplies for farming, livestock and domestic use. The projects are expected to benefit more than 1,000 households while supporting approximately 500 acres of irrigated agriculture and water access for livestock. 

Such visits illustrate an important principle in climate governance. Effective adaptation cannot be managed entirely from offices in Nairobi. Conditions vary significantly from one county to another. Farmers experience climate change differently depending on geography, water availability and local infrastructure. Regular engagement with communities allows policymakers to understand these differences and refine interventions accordingly.

Climate resilience is often discussed using global statistics and international reports. Yet its success is determined in places where farmers decide when to plant, where pastoralists search for water and where communities depend on functioning irrigation systems to sustain their livelihoods.

In that sense, Joel Tanui's work reflects a broader transition taking place within Kenya's climate agenda. The conversation is moving away from responding to environmental emergencies toward building systems that make those emergencies less damaging in the first place. That shift may ultimately prove to be one of the country's most important long-term investments.

7. Positioning Irrigation as a Climate Adaptation Tool Rather Than Just an Agricultural Service

For many years, irrigation in Kenya was viewed primarily through the lens of agriculture. It was associated with increasing crop production, supporting rice schemes or helping farmers maintain yields during dry seasons. Climate change has expanded that conversation.

Today, irrigation is increasingly recognised as one of the country's most practical climate adaptation tools. Reliable access to water allows farmers to reduce dependence on increasingly erratic rainfall, diversify crops and maintain production even when weather patterns shift. That makes irrigation not only an agricultural investment but also a resilience investment.

Joel Tanui's docket reflects this changing perspective. Beyond irrigation water management, his responsibilities include climate resilience and land reclamation, illustrating how government institutions are bringing these priorities together instead of treating them as separate issues. The National Irrigation Sector Investment Plan (NISIP) also adopts this integrated approach, identifying irrigation expansion as a pathway to food security, economic growth and climate adaptation while encouraging investments that improve water productivity and strengthen resilience across farming systems. 

That shift is significant because climate resilience cannot be achieved through environmental programmes alone. It requires infrastructure that enables people to continue producing food under increasingly difficult conditions.

8. Building Partnerships That Extend Beyond Government

No single institution can prepare Kenya for climate change on its own.

The scale of the challenge requires cooperation between government agencies, county governments, development partners, research institutions, financial organisations and local communities. Climate resilience depends as much on partnerships as it does on policy.

This collaborative approach is visible in Joel Tanui's recent engagements. During discussions with Mercy Corps on implementing the National Irrigation Sector Investment Plan, the focus was not limited to constructing irrigation infrastructure. The conversation also explored farmer resilience, financial inclusion, market systems and institutional collaboration. The objective was to create programmes capable of delivering lasting economic and environmental benefits rather than isolated projects. 

That reflects an important lesson from climate adaptation around the world. Infrastructure alone is rarely enough. Farmers also need access to knowledge, financing, markets and institutions that enable them to make productive use of that infrastructure. Strong partnerships help bring those different elements together.

9. Encouraging Long-Term Thinking in a Time of Immediate Crises

Climate emergencies often dominate headlines because their effects are immediate and visible. Droughts destroy crops. Floods damage roads and homes. Water shortages disrupt livelihoods. The urgency of these events can make it difficult to invest in solutions whose benefits may only become apparent years later.

Land reclamation is one such investment.

Restoring degraded landscapes is a gradual process. Building water harvesting systems, rehabilitating ecosystems and improving soil productivity require patience, sustained funding and consistent policy support. Yet these long-term interventions often determine whether future generations inherit productive landscapes or increasingly degraded ones.

The State Department for Irrigation has incorporated this perspective into its programmes by promoting ecosystem restoration, water harvesting, flood management and climate adaptation as interconnected priorities rather than isolated activities. Joel Tanui's responsibilities sit within this broader institutional effort to ensure that Kenya's response to climate change is not confined to disaster response but also includes prevention and recovery. 

The value of this approach lies in its willingness to invest before the full consequences of climate change are felt. Preparing for future risks is often less visible than responding to present disasters, but it is frequently more effective.

10. Helping Shape a Development Agenda Where Climate Resilience and Economic Growth Go Together

Perhaps the most important contribution emerging from Joel Tanui's portfolio is the growing recognition that climate resilience should not be viewed as a cost to development. It should be understood as one of its foundations.

Healthy landscapes support agriculture. Reliable water supplies strengthen rural economies. Restored ecosystems improve productivity while reducing vulnerability to droughts and floods. These outcomes contribute not only to environmental sustainability but also to employment, food production and economic stability.

That thinking is increasingly reflected in Kenya's irrigation and land management agenda. Rather than treating environmental restoration as an isolated conservation effort, the emphasis is shifting toward programmes that generate measurable social and economic value alongside environmental benefits. Land reclamation, irrigation expansion and climate adaptation are being positioned as investments in national development.

Joel Tanui's work, as defined by his current responsibilities, contributes to that transition. His portfolio brings together land, water and climate within a single framework that recognises how closely these issues are connected. It is an approach that acknowledges a simple reality: Kenya's ability to withstand climate change will depend not only on how much rain falls each year, but on how effectively the country manages its natural resources before, during and after that rain arrives.

Conclusion

Climate change is forcing countries to rethink the relationship between development and resilience. Kenya is no exception. The old model of reacting to drought after crops have failed or rebuilding after floods have destroyed infrastructure is gradually giving way to a more forward-looking approach centred on preparation, restoration and sustainable resource management.

Within that national effort, Joel Tanui occupies a role that is less visible than large infrastructure projects but no less important. His responsibilities in land reclamation, climate resilience and irrigation water management place him at the point where environmental policy meets agricultural productivity and where long-term planning meets the daily realities faced by farming communities.

The full impact of this work will not be measured by a single season or a single project. It will be measured by whether degraded land becomes productive again, whether communities become less vulnerable to climate shocks and whether future generations inherit landscapes capable of supporting both people and nature. Those are ambitious goals, but they also reflect the direction Kenya has chosen as it prepares for a changing climate.

Article by Victor Patience Oyuko. To buy coffee Mpesa 0799996596