Kenya

Overall rating: Almost Sufficient

Policies and action against fair share: 1.5°C compatible; < 1.5°C World

Conditional NDC target against modelled domestic pathways: Insufficient; < 3°C World

Unconditional NDC target against fair share: 1.5°C compatible; < 1.5°C World

Climate finance: Not applicable

Net zero target: Comprehensiveness not rated as
No target

Land use & forestry: historically considered a
Source

Summary

Kenya does not have an economy-wide net zero target. While some references to net zero and long-term decarbonisation towards 2050 have appeared in policy documents, there has been no explicit high-level government announcement committing Kenya to a net zero target.

The Energy Transition and Investment Plan 2023–2050 (ETIP) mentions Kenya’s commitment to the “attainment of Net Zero by 2050” but only outlines steps to reach net zero energy-related emissions (Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, 2024a; Republic of Kenya, 2025). Kenya’s 2035 NDC also mentions that it will be an important part of “Kenya’s process of transforming towards a low emission society by 2050” but does not explicitly reference net zero (Republic of Kenya, 2025).

In September 2023, President Ruto announced Kenya’s “National Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy (LT-LEDS) 2022–2050”, which sets out an overarching plan to abate emissions through a “fair and cost-effective course” and ensure a transition to a carbon-neutral economy by 2050 (Lee, 2023). However, this plan has not yet been finalised, leaving key details unclear.

Kenya could make a clear high-level commitment and formalise its plans to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 by submitting an LTS to the UNFCCC.

For more information on Kenya’s climate targets, see the Targets tab.

Good practice

The Climate Action Tracker has defined the following good practice for all ten key elements of net zero targets. Countries can refer to this good practice to design or enhance their net zero targets.