From Nyatike to COP29: Salome Owuonda’s fight for marginalised voices in climate action
Salome Owuonda, a climate action activist who rose from the arid Nyatike Constituency in Migori County to the global stage.
What you need to know:
Salome Owuonda has transformed climate advocacy, championing gender equality and resilience in marginalised Kenyan communities.
She has made Kenya progress in gender-responsive climate action, addressing systemic disparities and empowering marginalised voices.
Born and raised in the heart of Kadem in Nyatike, Migori County—an area where arid and semi-arid lands dominate nearly a third of the landscape—she has lived through the harsh realities of climate change.
In Salome Owuonda’s community, climate change effects are deeply personal, especially for women and schoolgirls. As a young girl, she often saw her peers miss school to accompany their mothers in search of water.
“Women in my community often had to walk for hours to fetch water, missing out on opportunities for education and economic advancement,” Salome recalls.
“I didn't realise these problems had anything to do with climate change or gender. I just knew that women and girls in my community were facing systemic inequalities.”
These early experiences planted in her the seeds of passion for gender equality and community empowerment, though she did not initially connect them to broader concepts like climate change or systemic gender disparities.
Arid and semi-arid lands (Asals) occupy over 85 per cent of Kenya’s landmass, and is home to 90 per cent of wildlife, 70 per cent of livestock, and nearly 40 per cent of the population. These regions are also rich in mineral resources and high-value arable land, yet they remain water-scarce and underdeveloped.
For Salome, the stark contrasts underscored the need for transformative action. Her determination to prove that women could thrive beyond systemic constraints became her driving force. “I wanted to show that women could break free from the barriers imposed by their communities.”
Her academic journey took root in 2009 when she began studying Gender and Development Studies at Egerton University. Though she was not sure how her chosen major aligned with her passion for gender equality, it wasn't until she attended the first class on gender studies that Salome found her calling. “I didn't understand how gender studies lined up with my goals, but after attending my first class I knew this was my path.”
It was not until her passion for gender studies finally lit a fire, and it became clear to her that her advocacy life would focus on addressing the gendered impacts of climate change and social exclusion. “When I took my first class in gender studies, everything clicked. I knew this was my calling.”
Salome later pursued her Master’s in Gender and Development Studies at the same university. Her education equipped her to address the intersection of climate change, gender inequality, and social inclusion. By 2018, she had firmly shifted her focus towards integrating these issues, advocating policies and programmes that prioritise the needs of the most marginalised.
As the Executive Director of the Africa Centre for Sustainable and Inclusive Development, Salome has dedicated her career to amplifying marginalised voices. Her efforts culminated in her impactful participation at COP29, where she worked alongside African representatives to champion revisions of the Enhanced Lima Work Programme on Gender. COP29 was the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, a UN climate change conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, held from November 11–22, 2024. It focused on climate finance and resulted in a new collective goal.
Salome advocated actionable frameworks and financing to support gender-sensitive initiatives. “We need frameworks backed by sufficient financing to ensure gender-responsive policies translate into real, measurable change,” she emphasised.
She further pushed for the inclusion of gender-specific indicators in climate goals, arguing that effective climate action must address social disparities alongside environmental outcomes. “Monitoring and evaluation should measure not just environmental impacts but also how well we are addressing gender disparities and empowering marginalised groups.”
Despite her global presence, Salome remains deeply connected to her roots in Nyatike. Through the Africa Centre for Sustainable and Inclusive Development, she spearheads initiatives that empower marginalised communities to build resilience in the face of climate challenges. Her projects focus on sustainable farming, climate-resilient food systems, and local advocacy efforts that make women and youth agents of change. “My mission is to ensure that marginalised voices are integral to decision-making processes, not just an afterthought.”
Her work aligns with Kenya’s national policies, such as the Climate Change Act and the forthcoming National Gender and Climate Change Action Plan. These efforts position the country as a leader in integrating gender perspectives into climate action.
At COP29, Salome worked with other African representatives in calling for the revision of the Lima Work Programme by asking for a gender action plan with actionable frameworks and adequate financing to support its implementation. “We need actionable frameworks backed by sufficient financing to drive meaningful change,” she says, laying much emphasis on the need for practical tools and resources to enable gender-responsive climate policies to bear fruit.
Salome also called for the inclusion of gender-responsive indicators in global climate goals. “Monitoring and evaluation must include gender lenses to ensure impactful reporting,” she says, emphasising the fact that climate action should not be measured by the environmental metric alone but also by how it addresses gender disparities and empowers marginalised groups, especially women.
Local and global drive for change among marginalised voices
Driving change locally and globally helps in empowering marginalised voices. Despite her global engagements, Salome's focus remains firmly grounded in empowering communities like those in Nyatike. “My aim is to amplify the voices of those in marginalised groups and to make sure they are part of decision-making processes.”
This local-global connection underpins much of her advocacy work. While she actively plays her part on the world stage, she is equally committed to ensuring that local communities—particularly those affected by climate change—are not left behind in global conversations. Her work of amplifying marginalised voices reflects a bigger commitment to creating equitable systems where gender, climate, and social inclusion come together.
Salome believes that sustainable change can only come when voices of marginalised groups are not only heard but also included in building policies and initiatives affecting them. “My work is about ensuring the voices of marginalised groups aren't just heard but are also integral in decision-making.”
From a simple, semi-arid village, she grew to advocate on a world stage: COP29. This transformation was brought about by education, resilience, and purpose. Her work is always a potent reminder of the importance of intersectional advocacy that deals with complex issues of gender, climate change, and social inclusion.
Gender equality in climate action: challenges and progress in Kenya
Kenya's path to inclusive climate action has not been easy, but tremendous progress is already visible. Advocates for gender-responsive approaches to climate action underline the importance of skills, experience-sharing, and documentation in empowering younger generations of negotiators. Climate policy negotiation demands a special set of skills, and specialised training programmes should play a critical role in helping younger participants to effectively involve themselves in climate negotiations.
As these new voices emerge, seasoned negotiators play a critical role by offering historical perspectives and guidance, ensuring that the lessons learned from past climate summits—such as COP1—are not lost. One critical aspect of gender-responsive climate action is understanding why gender matters in climate solutions. Gender, often misunderstood as simply synonymous with women, refers to the socially constructed roles that vary across age, culture, and ability. Advocates argue that overlooking gender roles leaves key groups, such as women, youth, and persons with disabilities, excluded from decision-making.
This exclusion can undermine the effectiveness of climate action and prevent the desired impact from being achieved. For example, without consulting women in tree-planting initiatives, their lack of land ownership can impede progress, especially when men do not fully understand the long-term benefits of such programmes. Similarly, introducing climate-resilient crops without considering local community dynamics can lead to resistance, delaying or derailing efforts to address climate change.
Advocates stress the importance of involving entire communities in climate projects to ensure seamless integration and prevent maladaptation, where well-intentioned interventions cause harm instead of delivering solutions. Despite these challenges, progress is being made. Many organisations, even those as young as one-year-old, are launching impactful projects that highlight the importance of gender-responsive climate action.
One such initiative focuses on sustainable and inclusive food systems, with a particular emphasis on women and youth as agents of change. This project spans multiple counties, including Nairobi, Kajiado, Baringo, Homa Bay, and Migori, and involves activities such as raising awareness of the climate-food nexus and developing marketable products like Yago—a beverage derived sustainably from indigenous tree bark.
Another innovative project integrates fish farming, fruit trees, crops, and poultry into sustainable farm demonstrations, ensuring no waste. These initiatives showcase how community involvement and sustainable practices can come together to deliver impactful results.
