The Science-Policy Practitioner Dialogue on Air Pollution and Early Warning for Africa, held at Ole Sereni Hotel in Nairobi on July 21,2025
In the heart of one of Africa’s fastest-growing cities, a quiet transformation is underway.
Nairobi, long plagued by air pollution and climate-related shocks, is beginning to reframe how it understands and responds to environmental risks.
At the centre of this shift is a powerful idea: that air quality data, when integrated into planning and early warning systems, can become a cornerstone of urban resilience.
That idea took center stage on July 21 at the Science-Policy Practitioner Dialogue on Air Pollution and Early Warning for Africa, held at Ole Sereni Hotel in Nairobi.
Convened by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) under the CLEAR project (Clean Air for Enhanced Urban Climate Resilience in Africa), the meeting drew together decision-makers, technical experts, researchers, civil society, and private sector actors.
A Converging Crisis
Nairobi faces the dual challenge of rising air pollution and intensifying climate hazards.
Vehicle emissions, industrial discharge, open waste burning, and dust contribute to dangerously high levels of particulate matter across the city.
Meanwhile, climate-related events like floods, heatwaves, and prolonged dry spells increasingly disrupt lives and livelihoods, especially in densely populated informal settlements.
Under the CLEAR project, UNEP and SEI have installed over 40 low-cost air quality sensors across the city.
These devices measure pollutants like PM2.5, PM10, CO₂, and CO, while also capturing key weather parameters. D
eployed across industrial areas, schools, residential estates, hospitals, and transit points, the network provides a real-time, citywide view of air pollution patterns.
But data alone is not enough.
As presenters emphasized throughout the event, air quality information remains largely disconnected from existing disaster risk reduction and early warning systems, limiting its impact on real-time decision-making and long-term planning.
Building the Link with Early Warning Systems
Kenya is already part of the “Early Warnings for All” (EW4All) initiative led by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Through the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) and IGAD’s Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC), the country has developed a strong foundation in climate risk forecasting.
Yet, air quality has not been formally treated as a hazard within these early warning systems. That is beginning to change.
Participants at the Dialogue explored how air quality data could be embedded into early warning frameworks at both the county and national levels.
In one panel, KMD outlined how it is already incorporating air pollution insights into its State of Climate Reports.
In another, regional experts from IGAD highlighted opportunities to harmonize air quality alerts with multi-hazard forecasts across East Africa.
Technical agencies and telecommunications firms—including Safaricom and Airtel—shared ideas on how to disseminate real-time alerts to the public via SMS, community radio, and mobile apps, ensuring that the most vulnerable populations receive timely, localized information.
Objectives of the Dialogue
The organizers outlined five primary objectives for the convening:
- Convene diverse stakeholders to exchange knowledge on air quality risk communication and early warning systems.
- Highlight existing frameworks and gaps in air quality monitoring and public information dissemination.
- Showcase innovative tools for community-based air quality awareness.
- Co-create priority areas for targeted collaboration among policymakers, researchers, and communicators.
- Catalyze inclusive and sustainable air quality action through evidence-informed communication strategies.
Addressing Communication Gaps
A key concern driving the dialogue was the limited public access to localized, timely information about air pollution risks.
Currently, many early warning systems in Kenya focus on climate-related disasters such as floods and droughts, with little integration of air quality alerts.
The dialogue provided a space to interrogate these gaps and ask who currently has access to air quality data in Kenya, how monitoring systems are used or underutilized in risk communication, and what policy opportunities exist to expand public health messaging around air pollution.
Participants identified the need for more harmonized, real-time dissemination tools that reach vulnerable populations, especially children, the elderly, and those living in informal settlements.
Real-Time Alerts and Risk Messaging
One of the focal areas was how Kenya could develop a localized early warning system for air pollution that is responsive and inclusive.
Participants explored how existing technologies—such as SMS alerts, mobile applications, and community radio—might be adapted for air quality risk communication.
Tools and ideas discussed included:
- Low-cost sensors to monitor air quality in schools, hospitals, and informal neighborhoods.
- Partnerships with telecommunications providers to pilot SMS-based public alerts.
- Incorporation of air quality advisories into community radio programming.
- Integration with early warning systems managed by the National Disaster Management Authority and the Kenya Meteorological Department.
Designing Alerts That Work
Effective early warning systems require trust, usability, and cultural resonance.
The dialogue raised critical questions around what kind of messaging works in different communities, how alerts can be made accessible to people with low literacy, and who citizens trust to deliver health and safety information.
A session was dedicated to co-creating principles for risk messaging that is accurate, timely, and actionable.
The involvement of community leaders, health workers, and educators in crafting and delivering alerts was emphasized.
Building Inclusive Partnerships
The forum’s cross-sector participation reflected a growing recognition that tackling air pollution requires shared ownership and inclusive policymaking.
Attendees included scientists, government representatives from ministries and regulatory agencies, county-level disaster managers, civil society groups, and media practitioners.
Proposed Outcomes and Follow-Up Actions
The dialogue was positioned as a catalyst for ongoing collaboration with key expected outcomes:
- A shared roadmap for developing a localized air quality early warning system tailored to Kenyan contexts.
- Pilot projects for risk communication interventions, potentially involving schools, health facilities, and transport hubs.
- A set of guiding principles for designing inclusive, actionable public health messaging on air quality.
- A working group to synthesize policy recommendations and coordinate follow-up engagements.
- Strengthened institutional linkages among government departments, researchers, and community-based organizations.
Linking to the Global Agenda
The dialogue recognized Kenya’s role in global environmental health efforts, aligning national actions with international commitments such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3 and SDG 11), the Africa CDC’s strategy on environmental surveillance, and WHO’s Global Air Quality Guidelines.
Conclusion
The July 21 dialogue marked an important step toward bridging the gap between air quality science and public policy in Kenya.
While challenges remain in data accessibility, coordination, and infrastructure, the event offered a rare opportunity for scientists, policymakers, and frontline actors to jointly define what an effective, inclusive air quality alert system might look like.
As the air pollution crisis intensifies across Kenyan cities and rural areas alike, sustained investment in public risk communication and evidence-based decision-making will be essential.
The dialogue underscored the urgency—and the possibility—of transforming air quality information into action that protects the health and dignity of all Kenyans.
