Kenya launches digital carbon registry: The heartbeat of the green economy
On 17 February 2026, Kenya officially launched its National Carbon Registry (KNCR). The Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, Dr Deborah M. Barasa, described the registry as “the digital heartbeat” of the country’s green economy.
The national carbon registry enables the recording, transparent tracking, and legal safeguarding of emission reductions. This lays the foundation for Kenya to gain investor confidence and actively participate in the global carbon market.
Although several innovations had emerged in the sector in recent years, a central, government-run registry was still missing. This created risks such as a lack of transparency, potential double counting of emission reductions, and uncertainties in the legal recognition of credits. The KNCR now closes this gap: it documents projects centrally, issues emission credits unambiguously, and makes their transfer transparent and verifiable.
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International support for Kenya’s climate targets
The official launch event in Nairobi was attended by government representatives, partners, and carbon market stakeholders, including Kenya’s Principal Secretary for Environment and Climate Change, Dr Eng. Festus K. Ng’eno, and the EU Ambassador to Kenya, Henriette Geiger. GIZ Kenya supported the development and implementation of the register on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), together with the Digital Transformation Center Kenya and the European Union’s Data Governance in Africa Initiative. Maren Kneller, Head of Cooperation at the German Embassy in Nairobi, highlighted the significance of Kenya’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) 2031–2035 as one of the first in Africa—a strong signal of the country’s commitment to climate action.
Technical implementation and outlook
The technical implementation of the registry was carried out by the Kenya-based company Verst Carbon, in close cooperation with national institutions. Speaking at the launch, Verst Carbon’s Chief Technology Officer, Ian Mutai, emphasised that the objective was to meet international standards while taking Kenya’s national context and regulatory framework into account.
Following the launch of the KNCR, the project is now entering its next phase: the Team Europe Action is supporting its development into a continent-wide system, the African Registry for Carbon (ARC). Additionally, a practical toolkit is being created to assist other countries in building transparent, trusted, and sovereign carbon market infrastructures.
