All posts by : Mesha

Peter Okwiny, the director of Shining Hope for Communities (Shofco) said the organization will work closely with all stakeholders and support ‘Greening Kisumu County’ in order to achieve the key environmental goals.  He stressed that trees thrive because communities are holding onto them, hence a great call for unity in redeeming their place in the society.

Okwiny charged that the society has a moral obligation and an environmental responsibility to protect the earth and its inhabitants for future generations. He observed that environmental pollution is an incurable disease that can only be prevented. He pleaded with all the stakeholders present to unite and enlighten the communities on the importance of planting and conserving trees.

 “The environment is not our place of luxury; it is a necessity. The environment is everything. A healthy ecology is the basis for a healthy economy,” he said.

The latest tree planting campaign comes in the wake of new research that found out that many groups at the grassroots level in Kenya, especially women and youths participate actively and in large numbers in conserving forests and environment. In line with the new finding, there is need to bring these people together and support their environmental activities in order to realize the call for a greener society.  

Late last year, a new finding by Organisation for Sustainable Environmental Protection (OSEP) established that the local women groups and youth groups were more concerned with environmental conservation than women and youths in the urban centers. In its report, it recommended to the government to empower more women in the village set ups in order to realize key environmental needs.

Gaya, an environmental activist, says that sand harvesting should be controlled since it can deplete water catchment areas. He pleaded with locals to strike a balance between it and environmental conservation. He challenged the locals to look at the bigger picture of the environment without focusing on the short-term economic value.

“Sand harvesting employs a number of our youths and the construction of buildings is not ending now. However, there should be regulations on recommended distance that the activity should operate from with regard to homes. This activity leads to the drying up of aquifers, river bed erosion, water pollution together with loss of valuable animal species,” he added.

While weighing in into the looming crisis, Onyango, warned local leaders against reading politics in whatever action the government takes to protect the environment. His sentiments were echoed by Victor Obuya, the area Member of County Assembly, who asked the local residents to support the county government’s efforts in mitigating the effects of floods.  

“Politicians should give government room to address the concerns of the people. Sand harvesting is already piling uncontrolled pressure on rivers and flood plains, leading to displacement, erosion and emergence of water borne diseases such as cholera, typhoid and bilharzia,” said the chief.

According to Erick Dinda, a site engineer, there is serious need for an inventory to understand how much sand is left based on the region, what damage has been done and the best remedy for the damage.

“Regrettably, there exists no record to show how much sand will be needed in future development. There is also no record of the amount of sand in stock, the damages already caused by the harvest and mitigating measures in place,” he said.

Dinda expressed confidence the locals comply with government restrictions since doing so will conserve water and protect livelihoods.

The massive destruction to the environment witnessed in this area comes at a time when experts have called on ordinary citizens to safeguard their immediate environments to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a lot of them expressing fears that the world is lagging in most of the 17 SDGs.

SGD 15 as a case in point aims to protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

Speaking at the event, Stela Kamwasir, the Nyanza regional director National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) termed M-Taka a timely innovation.

“As stakeholders, we believe the initiative is the only practical and convincing way to stop plastic bottles from entering the lake,” she said.

The environment officer said that even as the locals are sensitized, they must desist from the common practice of adopting the use and dumping of plastic materials.

She challenged the youths to take up their space in meaningful plastic waste disposal referring to them “as the greatest consumers of the plastic wastes.”

Ms Kamwasir identified streets and institutions of learning as the greatest sources of plastic wastes, adding that youths have a responsibility to dispose plastic wastes in a manner that protects the environment and water sources.  

The mobile app has a number of features which include plastic waste management services, tutorials on recycling plastic wastes and the benefits of embracing a clean environment.

Early this year, studies showed fish samples in the lake’s Winam Gulf contained traces of micro plastics. In mid-2017, the government of Kenya introduced the gradual ban of plastics in order to protect water sources which are providers of life.  The government is yet to register success on the actualization of the ban.

The theme of this year’s World Environment Day is under the campaign #BeatPlasticPollution, ‘Ecosystem Restoration’. It is a reminder that people’s action on plastic matters as the material is slowly seeping into our oceans, soil and forest and causing irreparable damage.