The National Environment Management Authority will work with various state and non state actors to introduce national monthly cleanups in the 47 Counties to foster a clean and healthy environment, NEMA Chairman, Eric Mungai has said.
The Chairman stated that he will seek the support of the President for the initiative to achieve the desired outcome all over the country.
The Chairman said this during the celebrations of World cleanup day and international coastal cleanup day held today at Absa grounds Diani, Kwale County.
“Every day is a clean up. Do not dump your waste and expect someone to collect it,” Mungai pointed out. He urged Kenyans to take the challenge and keep their environment clean.
The Chair alluded to the fact that every single person’s action can make a difference and that we can change our mind set and consumer habits and avoid, for example the single use plastic products or encourage waste separation at source and promote recycling.
It is to make this happen for the benefit of ourselves, for the future generations and for our planet.
The event was also attended by Lady justice Addraya Dena, Kwale Environment and Land (ELC) Court. The Environment and Lands Court joined hands with NEMA to celebrate 10 years since it was established in 2012.
According to Justice Dena, the community should embrace the legal system to address environment and land issues instead of taking law into their own hands.
He postulated that its critical for the people to regard court issues and document with the seeiousness it deserves. She noted that some people ignored courts qhen served with court orders only to lament later when the judgement doesn’t favor them.
He stated that locals should seek help in courts when faced with such environmental issues. During the ELC@10, 3,700 trees were planted within Kwale County to mark the occasion.
The Director General, NEMA Mamo B. Mamo remarked that despite having robust environmental laws in Kenya, we can do better if all of us take action and protect the environment to ehnance compliance to the such laws and regulations.
He noted that taking care of the environment is a collective effort.
He clarified that despite waste management hacing been devolved since 2013, the Authority continues to work with the 47 County governments to build their capacity to handle waste.
Mamo highlighted some of the laws that NEMA has put in place in management of waste. This includes; National Solid Waste management strategy, National Marine Litter Action Plan, launched during UNEA 5•2, Sustainable Waste Management Act, 2021 that emphasis on circular economy and cleaner production.
World Clean up day and the International Coastal Cleanup Day national celebrations are two events held over the course of a 24-hour period on the 3rd saturday of september every year with a common objective of undertaking important events aimed at addressing the global waste management problem.
These important events unite millions of people in different countries globally to think, review and address waste management policies and challenges affecting them.
This year’s theme is “Sustainable Waste Management for a Clean and Healthy Environment” and the slogan “It starts with Me”.
During the cleanup today, 1,200 kgs of solid waste was collected.
The celebrations were also attended by officials from KenyaJudiciary, KwaleCounty, Kenya Forestry Research Institute Kenya Forest Service Mazingira Na Misitu Kemfri WWF-Kenya.
