Kenya’s National Carbon Registry: What It Is, Why It Matters, and What Comes Next
Kenya has taken a major step toward strengthening transparency, integrity, and national oversight of its carbon markets with the development of the Kenya National Carbon Registry (KNCR). The registry serves as the country’s official digital system for registering, tracking, and authorizing carbon projects and carbon credits, providing a centralized platform for managing carbon market data.
The KNCR has been fully developed, tested, and institutionally validated through extensive stakeholder engagement, user acceptance testing, and targeted capacity building with Kenya’s Designated National Authority. It was developed through a partnership led by the National Environment Management Authority and the Climate Change Directorate under the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, with support from GIZ through the Data Economy and Digital Transformation Initiative in Africa, and Verst Carbon as the technical implementation partner.
The registry will play a central role in aligning Kenya’s carbon market activities with international climate governance frameworks while reinforcing national ownership and control of carbon data.
The KNCR has been fully developed, tested, and institutionally validated through extensive stakeholder engagement, user acceptance testing, and targeted capacity building with Kenya’s Designated National Authority. It was developed through a partnership led by the National Environment Management Authority and the Climate Change Directorate under the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, with support from GIZ through the Data Economy and Digital Transformation Initiative in Africa, and Verst Carbon as the technical implementation partner.
The registry will play a central role in aligning Kenya’s carbon market activities with international climate governance frameworks while reinforcing national ownership and control of carbon data.
What Is a National Carbon Registry?
A national carbon registry is the digital backbone of a country’s carbon market. It records carbon projects, issued credits, transfers, and authorizations within a centralized national system. This allows governments to monitor who is generating carbon credits, under which methodologies and standards, and how those credits are used, traded, or transferred.
In the context of the Paris Agreement, national registries are essential for implementing Article 6 carbon market mechanisms, including the tracking of Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs). Without a registry, countries cannot credibly authorize international transfers or prevent double counting, where the same emission reduction is claimed by more than one actor.
Why the National Carbon Registry Matters for Kenya
Kenya hosts more than 300 carbon projects across sectors such as renewable energy, forestry, agriculture, and waste management. Until now, however, these projects have largely operated without a centralized national platform to verify data, track performance, or link carbon activities directly to national climate reporting and authorization processes.
The National Carbon Registry closes this gap by centralizing carbon project registration and tracking under one national system. It enables Kenya to participate credibly in Article 6 cooperative approaches, improves transparency, and reduces the risk of double counting or double issuance of carbon credits. By providing a public-facing layer, the registry also enhances accountability and visibility for communities, investors, and regulators.
Equally important, the NCR reinforces Kenya’s digital sovereignty over climate and carbon data. Rather than relying solely on external registries or fragmented systems, the government gains the ability to oversee carbon market activity in line with national development priorities and climate commitments.
The National Carbon Registry closes this gap by centralizing carbon project registration and tracking under one national system. It enables Kenya to participate credibly in Article 6 cooperative approaches, improves transparency, and reduces the risk of double counting or double issuance of carbon credits. By providing a public-facing layer, the registry also enhances accountability and visibility for communities, investors, and regulators.
Equally important, the NCR reinforces Kenya’s digital sovereignty over climate and carbon data. Rather than relying solely on external registries or fragmented systems, the government gains the ability to oversee carbon market activity in line with national development priorities and climate commitments.
Looking Ahead: Building Credible Carbon Markets in Africa
The Kenya National Carbon Registry will support both voluntary and compliance carbon markets, strengthen Kenya’s position in international climate negotiations, and improve investor confidence in Kenyan carbon projects.
More broadly, the registry sets a precedent for how digital infrastructure, policy alignment, and multistakeholder collaboration can work together to support high-integrity carbon markets in Africa. As global scrutiny of carbon markets increases, systems like the NCR will play a critical role in ensuring that climate action is transparent, credible, and grounded in national priorities.
Kenya’s experience offers an important case study for other African countries seeking to build carbon market systems that prioritize trust, accountability, and long-term climate impact.
More broadly, the registry sets a precedent for how digital infrastructure, policy alignment, and multistakeholder collaboration can work together to support high-integrity carbon markets in Africa. As global scrutiny of carbon markets increases, systems like the NCR will play a critical role in ensuring that climate action is transparent, credible, and grounded in national priorities.
Kenya’s experience offers an important case study for other African countries seeking to build carbon market systems that prioritize trust, accountability, and long-term climate impact.
By Lily Ronoh-Waweru – Strategic Communications Specialist