{"id":135675,"date":"2026-03-26T20:02:44","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T20:02:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/outgoing-un-envoy-dr-stephen-jackson-reflects-on-kenyas-sdg-progress-gaps\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T20:02:44","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T20:02:44","slug":"outgoing-un-envoy-dr-stephen-jackson-reflects-on-kenyas-sdg-progress-gaps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/outgoing-un-envoy-dr-stephen-jackson-reflects-on-kenyas-sdg-progress-gaps\/","title":{"rendered":"Outgoing UN envoy Dr. Stephen Jackson reflects on Kenya\u2019s SDG progress, gaps"},"content":{"rendered":"

Outgoing United Nations Resident Coordinator in Kenya, Stephen Jackson, has praised the country\u2019s development progress, rating Kenya 6 to 7 out of 10 for its performance in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking to journalists on Wednesday at the UN Complex, Dr. Jackson said Kenya is performing strongly in sectors like the renewable energy with over 90pc clean electricity being generated from renewable sources.<\/p>\n

SDGs on health and education sectors have made great strides as well while poverty eradication, hunger and industrialisation lag behind.<\/p>\n

He noted that the country, just like many others worldwide is off track in fully achieving the 17 global goals by 203o attributing this to both local and international challenges including climate change, COVID-19 pandemic, rising conflicts.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn one hand Kenya is making steady progress towards quite a number of the goals, but the bad news is yes, we\u2019re off track on others but Kenya is not alone in that in fact, the SDGs are off track around the world,\u201d said Dr. Jackson.<\/p>\n

Adding that: \u201cWe\u2019ve have faced successive global challenges including the return of global conflict. We have a conflict right now in the Middle East that is putting the prices of food fuel and fertiliser in Kenya at risk of increasing because of a conflict that has nothing to do with Kenya.\u201d<\/p>\n

Financing gap threatens SDGs<\/strong><\/p>\n

When asked about the impact of funding cuts, Dr. Jackson acknowledged the that they have significant affected UN operations leading to job losses. \u201cI\u2019m the first thing to say is I deeply regret, those funding cuts because they have a material impact on people\u2019s lives. <\/span> But they also symbolically represent the failure of solidarity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

However he stressed that achieving the SDGs requires trillions of dollars which is far beyond traditional aid calling on involvement of private sector.<\/p>\n

To achieve the goals he remarked that Kenya must mobilise larger development financing from the private sector, government through responsible taxation and spending as well as from multilateral institutions like World Bank.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201c<\/span>Aid alone will never be enough. We must mobilise private sector investment and domestic resources,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He described the UN\u2019s evolving role as \u2018catalytic,\u2019 using limited funds to unlock larger investments.<\/p>\n

Additionally, he cited high borrowing costs for developing countries as a limitation to achieving the goals noting that \u201cIf Kenya could access finance at the same rates as developed countries, it would transform its development trajectory,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Climate change<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr. Jackson<\/span><\/span> also raised concerns over the growing impact of climate change, warning that the crisis continues to outpace response efforts pointing out increasing cases of urban flooding in cities such as Nairobi<\/span><\/span>, linking the problem to inadequate drainage systems and rapid, unplanned urban development.<\/p>\n

He highlighted a major initiative that has secured $20 million (approximately Ksh2.5 billion) to expand climate-resilient water access for over one million Kenyans, particularly in vulnerable regions.<\/p>\n

\u201cClimate change is not going away. We must do more to help communities adapt, especially through water solutions and climate-smart agriculture,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.kbc.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/CLIMATE-CHANGE.mp4<\/a><\/div>\n

Key achievements despite challenges<\/strong><\/p>\n

Further, Dr. Jackson highlighted the work of\u00a0 the UN agencies operating in Kenya, noting that a key focus has been on populations at risk of being left behind, in line with the global SDGs.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur job has been to ensure that even as Kenya develops rapidly, those most at risk are not left behind,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Under his tenure, UN Kenya has continued to deliver results at scale despite global funding cuts, mobilising approximately Ksh. 59.7 B USD 460M in 2025 expenditures.<\/p>\n

The results reflect the collective work of 28 UN agencies operating under the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2022\u20132027), aligned with Kenya\u2019s Vision 2030 and the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.<\/p>\n

Some of the key impacts include vaccination of 17 million children against typhoid, 5 million vaccinated against measles and rubella and over 500,000 adolescent girls reached with sexual and reproductive health services.<\/p>\n

Additionally, nearly 9 million people received food and nutrition support, particularly in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) affected by climate-induced food insecurity.<\/p>\n

In social protection, 2.4 million people benefited from the Inua Jamii cash transfer programme, receiving consistent monthly support to ease extreme poverty, while close to 1.9 million people were reached through education, skills and wellbeing programmes.<\/p>\n

Access to basic services also improved, with nearly 1 million people (955,811) gaining access to safe water.<\/p>\n

In agriculture and climate resilience, 197,780 farmers were supported with climate-smart technologies, while 7 million farmers were registered under the KIAMIS system to streamline fertilizer distribution covering 50 million bags.<\/p>\n

Further, 90,133\u00a0entrepreneurs increased their technical skills in low-carbon, circular & climate-resilient sectors to generate sustainable income.<\/p>\n

A global hub for the United Nations<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jackson underscored Kenya\u2019s importance as a global UN hub, noting that Nairobi hosts one of the UN\u2019s four headquarters globally.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe global South is becoming more influential, and Kenya is at the centre of that shift,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Jackson, who has led the UN development system in Kenya since 2021, said his connection with the country spans decades, dating back to the 1980s when he first visited as a student, describing his time in Kenya as \u2018an immense privilege\u2019.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.kbc.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/DR.Jackson-on-Kenya.mp4<\/a><\/div>\n

Reflecting on Kenya\u2019s growth, Jackson noted significant progress in economic development, urban expansion, and political freedoms compared to the 1990s.<\/p>\n

However, he emphasized that what has remained constant is the resilience and optimism of Kenyans.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a society that has gone from strength to strength. Kenyans are resilient, hardworking, creative, and optimistic,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

As he prepares to leave, Dr.\u00a0 Jackson expressed deep appreciation for Kenya and its people.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope I\u2019ve contributed in some small way, but honestly, the debt is the other way. I thank Kenya for the opportunity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He added that despite current challenges, he remains confident in Kenya\u2019s future: \u201cThis is a country whose best years are still ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The post Outgoing UN envoy Dr. Stephen Jackson reflects on Kenya\u2019s SDG progress, gaps<\/a> appeared first on KBC Digital<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Outgoing United Nations Resident Coordinator in Kenya, Stephen Jackson, has praised the country\u2019s development progress, rating Kenya 6 to 7 out of 10 for its performance in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Speaking to journalists on Wednesday at the UN Complex, Dr. Jackson said Kenya is performing strongly in sectors like the renewable energy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-135675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135675","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135675"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135675\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}