Develop a Heat Health Action Plan (HHAP) for Nairobi City County

Request for Proposal (RFP) Develop a Heat Health Action Plan (HHAP) for Nairobi City County C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, Inc. 44 Featherstone Street, London, EC1Y 8RN, United Kingdom June 2026 Contents 1. C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group Inc. 1 2. Summary, purpose and background of the project 1 3. Proposal guidelines 2 4. RfP and project timeline 4 5. Proposal evaluation criteria 6 6. Project budget 7 7. C40 policies 8 8. Submissions 8 1. C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group Inc. C40 is a network of nearly 100 mayors of the world’s leading cities working to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis and create a future where everyone, everywhere, can thrive. Mayors of C40 cities are committed to using a science-based and people-focused approach to limit global heating in line with the Paris Agreement and build healthy, equitable and resilient communities. We work alongside a broad coalition of representatives from labour, business, the youth climate movement and civil society to support mayors to halve emissions by 2030 and help phase out fossil use while increasing urban climate resilience and equity. To learn more about the work of C40 and our cities, please visit our website or follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. 2. Summary, purpose and background of the project 2.1 Urban Climate Action Programme (UCAP) Climate Action Implementation (CAI) programme phase 2 From 2022 to 2026, the Urban Climate Action Programme (UCAP) Climate Action Implementation (CAI) programme provided tailored technical assistance and capacity building to support city-led projects to develop low-emission public transport systems, sustainable urban mobility planning, sustainable waste management, renewables and energy efficiency in buildings, climate smart buildings codes, and incorporate climate action into city governance, planning and decision-making structures. Phase 2 of this programme will run from April 2026 to March 2027 and will aim to accelerate the efforts and progress made in two Africa cities, Addis Ababa and Nairobi, focusing on advancing on the UCAP CAI Request for Proposals: Project name 1 energy actions, implementing a programme on climate resilience and collaborating on urban climate action with the British High Commissions / Embassies. Background to the project Cities and urban centers are ground zero for the global heat crisis, heating at double the global average rate due to the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect (lack of green cover and excess concrete). With rising global temperatures tracking near record highs, extreme heat is causing hundreds of thousands of fatalities annually and crippling urban infrastructure. The UHI is as a result of dark asphalt, dense buildings, and waste heat from air conditioners trap warmth, making cities significantly hotter than surrounding rural areas. The increased demand of air conditioning in cities strains power grids and drives up emissions. The city of Nairobi’s Climate Resilience Strategy focuses on addressing urgent risks from flooding, heatwaves, and drought, with a heavy emphasis on protecting vulnerable communities in informal settlements. Guided by the Nairobi Climate Action Plan (CAP) (2020-2050) and the Air Quality Action Plan (2025-2029), the city is transitioning from planning to implementation. Nairobi is grappling with an escalating urban heat crisis driven by climate change, the urban heat island effect, and rapid loss of vegetation. Temperatures often exceed 30°C, with uninsulated metal roofs causing indoor temperatures to soar up to 9°C higher than outdoors. It is expected that East African cities including Nairobi will experience a compound intensification of climate hazards through 2035, with more frequent and intense extreme rainfall events, longer and hotter dry spells. Extreme heat of >35°C (10-20 days/yr) is expected for +35 days by 2035. From the city’s CAP, heat stress is identified as one of the prioritized hazards with very high risk causing various illnesses and heat strokes especially to the elderly, women, children, outdoor workers and other vulnerable communities. Prolonged exposure to deadly daytime and nighttime heat is linked to a rising number of fatalities, severe respiratory distress due to compounding poor air quality, and lost labor productivity. Project goal A heat stress assessment and mapping exercise was conducted in Nairobi City County in 2025 through the CAPA Heat Watch program. Further work was undertaken by WRI through the Cool Cities Lab, an open online platform which enables cities to evaluate their exposure to extreme heat and identify high risk areas and existing heat resilient infrastructure. The aim of this project is to build on these existing heat mapping assessments and develop a city-wide Heat Health Action Plan (HHAP) that reduces heat risks and enhances thermal comfort through evidence-based interventions, policy reforms and community engagement, including capacity bu