SENATOR’S AND MP’S VOUCH FOR WASTE BILL AND POLICY

The Chief Administrative Secretary, Hon. Mohamed Elmi and the PS, Dr. Ibrahim Mohamed, presenting a copy of Kenya’s Natural Capital to Hon. Mwangi Githiomi, chair of Senate Env. Committee.

Senate and National Assembly members of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee have called for sustained environmental awareness among members of the public in order to achieve behavioral change.

Members of the Senate Committee for Environment, Lands and Natural Resources and those from the Parliamentary Committee for Environment and Natural Resources, have both called on the Ministry of Environment and Forestry to ensure a sustained awareness creation on Environmental issues, especially waste management.

Speaking during an informal sensitization and consultative meeting between the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and the Parliamentary and Senate Committees on Environment in a Mombasa hotel, the chair of for the Senate Committee on Environment, Lands and Natural Resources and Laikipia Senator, Hon. Mwangi Githiomi and his Parliamentary counterpart, Hon. Kareke Mbiuki, and Maara MP, both vouched for support of the draft Waste Policy, Bill,  E-Waste Strategy and the National Climate Change Action Plan.

The meeting sought to consult the law makers on the draft waste policy, bill, E-waste strategy and the National Climate Change Action Plan and receive in-put and the way forward in fast tracking the enactment of the Waste Policy and Bill.

While opening the forum on behalf of the Cabinet Secretary Mr. Keriako Tobiko, the Chief Administrative Secretary in the Ministry, Hon. Mohamed Elmi noted, that the Waste Management Policy and Bill are guided by the circular economy principles, which is a radical departure from the current practice where nobody wants to touch waste once generated, but is transferred to dumpsites.

In the circular economy dispensation, every citizen, corporate, county government and national government have their roles clearly documented in the waste policy and bill.

The documents emphasize individual responsibility for waste even as it emerged that the country was currently producing 22 million tons daily against an individual generation of 0.2 kilograms.

Addressing the workshop, the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Dr. Ibrahim Mohamed said the Ministry will ensure the views of both committees are incorporated in the draft Bill, before its validation and presentation to the Cabinet.

A group photo of participants during the sensitization workshop for MPs and Senators on the Waste Bill at a Mombasa hotel