Nairobi,20th September 2024.
The County Executive Committee Member in charge of Green Nairobi Ms. Maureen Njeri has called for a shared responsibility in caring and preserving the environment.
“For this City of Nairobi to be clean, we need the commitment from every individual. The County Government cannot do it alone. It will require support from residents, business owners, communities and everyone else to make sure our environment is clean and healthy.” Said Ms. Maureen Njeri.
Ms. Njeri spoke during World Clean-up Day celebrations; a global environmental event that is commemorated every third week of September, held at John Michuki Memorial Park.
The Green Nairobi Executive Member said that since the Nairobi Governor, H.E Sakaja came into office he made a commitment to the residents of Nairobi, that he was going to deliver a clean City, and for this reason, the County has been working tirelessly to manage waste, which has been a task. “We are grappling with solid waste issues as a result of illegal dumping which is on the rise. People do not have the right attitude to know that the waste they generate is their responsibility and duty to manage it well. If we are to make this City clean, all we need is individual commitment and a shared responsibility to care and preserve our environment.” She said.
Ms. Njeri admitted that the over 5000 environment staff spread out across the City were not enough because with the growing population and illegal dumping practices coupled with the heavily polluted rivers, things keep getting worse.
The County Executive Member however noted that Nairobi County has made major strides in waste management and soon it will be coming up with a waste to energy plant that is going to boost the management of waste received daily at the final dumping site.
In addition, Ms. Njeri mentioned that the County is geared towards revamping its solid waste collection system by acquiring more trucks in order to increase its internal capacity.
The CECM commended the green army for not only cleaning the city but also for sensitizing Nairobi residents on waste management for a clean and healthy environment. She also thanked National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) for supporting the County in terms of enforcement.
The Environment Chief Officer Mr. Geoffrey Mosiria sent out a stern warning to the landlords and industries discharging raw sewer in the rivers. He also warned Club owners and churches who have given City residents sleepless nights due to noise pollution.” This is the time to fix this City. As the Chief Officer for environment, I have been given responsibility, working under my Waziri to ensure that people of Nairobi are going to sleep during the night. We are going to work closely with NEMA to ensure no one pollutes the Environment.” Said Mr. Mosiria.
In a keynote address by the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Hon. Aden Duale, which was read on his behalf by Dr. Ayub Macharia, the Director of Enforcement, NEMA, the CS called upon all the County governments to take a bold move to tackle solid waste by establishing material recovery facilities. “A time has come for all to change how we handle waste.” He said.
In this regard, Hon. Duale mentioned that NEMA had proposed three color codes to create the segregation of wastes in households and private entities; the green color will handle organic waste, blue color dry waste for further sorting and recycling and red color for E-waste.” We invite stakeholders to give feedback in the proposed distinction and usage of these colors to enhance sustainable waste management and segregation. I call upon all stakeholders to collaborate.” Read the speech by Hon. Duale.
Today’s celebration provided a platform for different speakers from NEMA and other partners including, representatives from United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Embassy of Republic of Estonia, Kenya Forest Service (KFS), Kenya Extended Producer Responsibility Organizations (KEPRO), Packaging Produce Responsibility Organization (PAKPRO) Let’s do it Kenya and Nairobi Rivers Commission, to create awareness on the importance of a clean and healthy environment.
The event which was organized by NEMA in partnership with the County and other partners, brought together Environmental stakeholders and several Community Based organizations.
Also attending the event were; County Director for Environment Mr. John Paul Malawi, Director Water and Sanitation Services Mr. Mario Kainga, Deputy Director Parks and Natural Resources Ms. Susan Nyambura, other senior environment officers and green army team.
Ends/..