Kenya has taken a significant step in aligning its carbon market infrastructure with international frameworks by releasing a draft regulation for a national carbon registry. The proposed digital system is designed to support the implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, providing a secure platform to record, track, and manage carbon credits and emissions reductions.
Close-up of a leafy branch in front of a glass office building in Kenya, with a man working on his laptop inside. AI generated picture.
According to the draft, the registry will serve multiple stakeholders—including developers, government entities, civil society, and buyers—by clearly outlining functions and requirements to support transparency and avoid double-counting of emission reductions.
‘The National Carbon Registry shall be a secure electronic system established for the purpose of recording, tracking, and managing information on carbon projects’, the document states.
Clarice Wambua, a Nairobi-based lawyer with expertise in carbon market policy, noted that the regulation aims to facilitate both the main registry and any associated sector registries, enhancing transparency and market integrity. She added that implementation may happen within the next three to four months, depending on the Ministry of Environment’s pace.
Public consultation on the regulation began on 17 June and will run for 28 days. Wambua emphasised that revisions are expected as public interest in carbon-related policies remains high.
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A key function of the registry will be to handle Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs), which are the units traded under bilateral or multilateral agreements as part of Article 6.2 mechanisms. The system will include detailed public information across three main categories: legislation, carbon market projects, and administrative templates.
Under the ‘carbon market projects’ section, the registry must disclose project types, whether under bilateral or multilateral frameworks, as well as relevant agreements and community development plans. The government will also create whitelists to identify priority sectors for international trading, though specifics are still under development.
In the ‘templates’ section, administrators will provide documentation such as Letters of Authorisation (LoAs), which confirm government support for corresponding adjustments (CAs)—a crucial accounting measure to prevent double claiming. The registry will also incorporate fee structures related to these adjustments.
The draft outlines roles for the designated national authority and a registrar responsible for the platform’s daily operations. While some stakeholders have questioned the need for a separate sub-regulation, the move has been positively received by many in the carbon credit ecosystem, who are eager to see Kenya begin issuing LoAs and CAs.
The environment ministry is also preparing additional regulations that will further clarify key elements such as CAs, signalling a broader effort to operationalise Kenya’s participation in global carbon markets.
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