FLLoCA Consultative Meeting: Strengthening Communication and Advocacy in Lamu

Published on September 10, 2025 by Athman Ali

On 6th September 2025, Lamu Youth Alliance convened a consultative meeting that brought together representatives from Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and members of the Ward Climate Change Planning Committee (WCCPC). The meeting was designed to deliberate on effective communication and advocacy strategies for the implementation of the Financing Locally-Led Climate Action (FLLoCA) projects in Lamu County. This gathering marked an important step in enhancing local climate resilience efforts, bringing diverse voices to the table for collaborative planning.

The dialogue provided a critical platform for stakeholders to reflect on how communication can be used as a powerful tool to strengthen transparency, accountability, and community participation in climate action. Participants engaged in interactive sessions that explored practical ways to enhance engagement and ensure project success. The meeting highlighted the need for inclusive communication to bridge gaps between stakeholders and communities, fostering a collaborative environment for climate resilience. Discussions also covered the challenges of implementing climate projects in rural areas like Lamu, where access to information can be limited, and proposed solutions like community radio broadcasts and digital campaigns.

Participants explored practical ways of packaging key messages, mapping audiences, and using different advocacy tools to ensure citizens are informed, included, and able to hold duty-bearers accountable. This included discussions on digital platforms, community radio, and grassroots campaigns to amplify voices from the ground level. The session also addressed challenges such as misinformation and low community awareness, proposing solutions like targeted workshops and media partnerships. Experts shared case studies from other counties, illustrating how effective communication has led to better project outcomes and increased community buy-in.

How to craft clear and inclusive messages that resonate with community members.
Practical advocacy approaches that can hold leaders and institutions accountable.
Mapping different audiences and tailoring communication strategies to ensure no group is left behind.
Social accountability tools such as public forums, citizen scorecards, and expenditure tracking to monitor the progress of FLLoCA projects.

By the end of the session, stakeholders had developed practical ideas on how to mobilize communities, build trust, and foster ownership of climate change projects. The discussions also underscored the role of partnerships between CSOs, WCCPC, and grassroots groups in ensuring that FLLoCA initiatives translate into tangible, people-centered benefits across the county. Key outcomes included a shared action plan for ongoing advocacy and a commitment to regular follow-up meetings. Plans were made to extend these strategies to remote wards in Lamu, ensuring equitable distribution of climate action benefits.

Speaking during the session, participants emphasized that strengthening communication and advocacy is not only about sharing information but also about empowering citizens with knowledge and platforms to voice their concerns and priorities. This inclusive approach is expected to create stronger accountability chains that can sustain climate resilience efforts in Lamu. Several CSO representatives shared success stories from similar initiatives, reinforcing the importance of community-led monitoring and feedback mechanisms.

The convening reflects Lamu Youth Alliance’s continued commitment to youth-led advocacy, community empowerment, and climate justice. It is part of a broader effort to ensure that the implementation of FLLoCA projects is guided by principles of openness, participation, and shared responsibility. Moving forward, the alliance plans to expand these dialogues to include more community members and local leaders, ensuring that climate action in Lamu is truly locally-led and impactful. Future steps include training programs for youth advocates and partnerships with local media to disseminate project updates widely.