Carbon certification body Verra has reinstated a grassland carbon project in Kenya that had been suspended following a court ruling that called its community governance arrangements into question, after a community ratification process confirmed local support for the initiative.
The Northern Kenya Grassland Carbon Project, operated by the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) on land managed by the Chari Dedha Community, was placed under a quality control review in January 2025 after a Kenyan court found that the Biliqo Bulesa Conservancy, which runs the project, had been established without the required legal and community processes on unregistered community land.
That ruling put the project in breach of Verra’s ownership requirements. The NRT and the affected conservancies have since appealed the ruling and obtained an injunction allowing conservancies to continue operating while the appeal proceeds.
To demonstrate compliance with Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standards (CCBS), NRT was required to conduct an independently assessed governance and community consent process under Kenya’s Community Land Act.
That process involved community registration, the election of governance structures, more than 300 community consultations, and a ratification vote by approximately 1,500 community members.
An independent verification body assessed the process, consulting community members, civil society organizations, and researchers before concluding that the governance arrangements and consent procedures met Verra’s requirements.
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Verra accepted that assessment and reinstated the project. Future verifications will continue to monitor compliance with the outcome of the ongoing legal proceedings.
“The review period has been a transformative journey for the project, strengthening its foundations,” said Peter Lekurtut, chairperson of the Transition Committee and member of the Carbon Council, adding that the process had produced stronger consent procedures, improved grievance mechanisms, and greater community benefit.
The project now returns to active status on the Verra registry as Verra Project 1468.
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