For years, carbon projects in Kenya have relied heavily on international carbon standards such as Gold Standard Foundation, Verra and Plan Vivo Foundation.
Verst Carbon Director of Carbon Project Development Charles Waweru told the Nation that Kenya has been relying on international standards due to the absence of home-grown carbon methodologies to measure and verify emission reductions.
“To develop a carbon project, you need scientific guidelines, what we call carbon standards or methodologies,” he said.
As a result, developers are compelled to use international accreditation programmes such as Gold Standard or Verra, which provide globally recognised rules and verification processes for measuring, reporting, and certifying carbon reductions.
The newly launched Kenya National Carbon Registry (KNCR) has been designed to address decades of reliance on external standards, providing the country with a centralised platform to oversee, validate and track carbon projects while aligning local initiatives with global frameworks.
While the registry establishes this local command centre, it does so without discarding the international frameworks that projects have long relied on.
“The registry does not replace international standards but rather mirrors them, requiring that every document, validation report and approval from Gold Standard or Verra projects also be uploaded to the national platform,” Waweru noted.
The move is said to strengthen oversight, increase transparency and position Kenya to assert greater authority over its climate initiatives.
“In practical terms, a Kenyan developer can still design a project under Gold Standard or Verra methodologies.” Waweru said, “But every document, validation report and approval must now also be uploaded and reflected within Kenya’s National Carbon Registry.”
Kenya’s Designated National Authority (DNA) is responsible for overseeing carbon projects in the country. These projects reduce greenhouse gas emissions and can generate carbon credits that are sold internationally.
A step-by-step compliance system
Kenya’s new carbon Registry operationalises requirements set out under the Climate Change Act and the 2024 Carbon Markets Regulations.
The process begins with a developer submitting a project concept to DNA, followed by an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA).
If cleared, the proponent receives a Letter of No Objection to proceed to full project design.
A third-party auditor then validates the project against international carbon methodologies before national authorities review the documents and issue a Letter of Approval.
The Registry digitises this entire workflow, allowing submissions, tracking and communications to happen through a single online platform.
“It doesn’t change what the law requires,” Waweru said, “the Registry simply makes the process seamless and transparent.”
Who will use the platform?
The KNCR will primarily be used by project proponents, individuals or groups with carbon project ideas; project developers who design and manage compliance and DNA, which serves as the government’s carbon oversight body.
It also features a public portal, giving Kenyans access to registered projects, their locations and publicly available documents such as project design documents and validation reports, while financial statements remain confidential.
"The Registry allows anyone to see which projects are registered in Kenya and how they are progressing. This kind of visibility is crucial for accountability in the carbon market," Waweru said. He added, "By tracking all projects in a single system, we reduce the risk of credits being counted twice, which protects both investors and Kenya’s climate commitments."
He further explained that the registry also opens the carbon market to greater public scrutiny, noting that journalists, researchers and investors will now be able to access project design documents and validation reports online.
While the platform does not alter existing legal requirements, he said it significantly enhances transparency and makes it easier to track compliance.
On Kenya’s broader climate agenda, Waweru added that the registry anchors carbon trading within the country’s commitments under the Paris Agreement.
Environment Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa described the platform as “the digital heartbeat of Kenya’s green economy,” emphasising that Kenya is moving from fragmented carbon activity to a unified, transparent, and accountable national system.
“For years, innovation thrived, but we lacked a single, trusted national ledger,” she said. “Today, that changes: The National Carbon Registry is the title deed of Kenya’s emissions reductions.”
Principal Secretary for Environment and Climate Change Festus Ng’eno underscored that Kenya’s carbon credits are sovereign assets protected under Kenyan law.
“The Registry is the heartbeat that makes the Climate Change Act and Regulations come alive,” he said, “Kenya is building an export-oriented carbon industry anchored on integrity, private sector empowerment and tangible local benefits,” he added.
The launch builds on recent regulatory milestones, including amendments to the Climate Change Act (2016), the gazettement of the Carbon Markets Regulations (2024) and the establishment of the Designated National Authority (DNA) for carbon markets.
International partners have framed the Registry as essential infrastructure for scaling Kenya’s carbon exports.
Attending the launch, European Union Ambassador to Kenya Henriette Geiger described a functioning national carbon registry as the backbone of integrity.
“It strengthens compliance with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and gives investors confidence in the country’s carbon market," She said.
The KNCR was developed through a partnership led by the Environment Ministry, the National Environment Management Authority, and the Climate Change Directorate, with support from international partners. Development of the registry was supported by the European Union’s Data Governance in Africa Initiative and the German Federal Ministry of
“Kenya has already made significant progress in operationalising carbon markets, demonstrating regional leadership and a strong commitment to building a green economy,” said Maren Kneller, head of Cooperation at the Embassy of Germany in Nairobi.
“One milestone of our cooperation was the development of Kenya’s new NDC 2031–2035. As one of the first NDCs in Africa, it sent a strong signal of Kenya’s climate commitment,” she added.
Speaking during the launch, Ian Mutai, chief technology officer at Verst Carbon, said the Registry represents a fundamental shift in Kenya’s carbon market infrastructure.
“Kenya’s carbon market is ultimately about outcomes: cleaner energy, healthier communities, restored landscapes, and investments that reach the places they are meant to reach,” Mutai said.
"Those outcomes depend on trust; trusting in the process, data, and trust in the decisions,” Mutai said.
