- Media Centre: Environmental Days
NEMA Board members, Management team and Staff on 20th July 2020 joined Environment and Forestry Cabinet Secretary, Keriako Tobiko in cleanup of Nairobi River at John Michuki Park and neighboring areas in the ongoing efforts to rehabilitate the park.
During the exercise, the CS launched 90-days of intensive crackdown on individuals discharging untreated effluent and toxic waste into Nairobi River.
The crackdown will be led by NEMA. The CS commended NEMA for the effort it’s inspectors led by Ag. Director General Mamo B. Mamo have put in place as the river is now clean.
Also present during the event were CAS and PS Environment and Forestry Mohammed Elmi and Chris Kiptoo respectively as well heads of other institutions.
Nema Boad Chairman was presented by Board Member Peninah Aloo-Abudho. Other Board members present include Hon. Augustinho Neto, Teresia Malokwe, Prof. Bernabas Mitaru, Hon. Halima Ware and Dr. Juma Ngeiywa.
The cleanup of the park and the river is geared towards restoring its lost glory.
NEMA has put in place branded waste bins to assist in handling of solid waste in the park.
What is Desertification & Drought Day?
Desertification and Drought Day was officially declared by the UN General Assembly as “World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought” The objectives of Desertification and Drought Day are:
- To promote public awareness of the issue
- To let people know that desertification and drought can be effectively tackled, that solutions are possible, and that key tools to this aim lay in strengthened community participation and cooperation at all levels.
- To strengthen implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in countries experiencing serious drought and/or desertification, particularly in Africa.
Why do we observe Desertification & Drought Day?
How does desertification affect you? No matter where you live, the consequences of desertification and drought concern you. Globally, 23 per cent of the land is no longer productive. 75 per cent has been transformed from its natural state, mostly for agriculture. This transformation in land use is happening at a faster rate than at any other time in human history, and has accelerated over the last 50 years. Scientists say the evolution from one state to the next is so rapid, the process is only observable over very short periods. Everyone needs to know that desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD) have direct affect on their daily lives, and that everyone’s daily actions can either contribute to, or help fight DLDD.
In Kenya, the World Desertification will be held on 17th June, 2024 as follows:
Venue: Maiyanat, Dol dol, Nanyuki, Laikipia County
Theme: United For Land, Our Legacy, Our Future
Our Future” spotlights the future of land stewardship — our most precious resource to ensure the stability and prosperity of billions of people around the world.
The future of our land is at stake. Desertification, land degradation, and drought are among the most pressing environmental challenges of our time, with up to 40% of all land area worldwide already considered degraded.
Healthy land not only provides us with almost 95% of our food but so much more: it clothes and shelters us, provides jobs and livelihoods, and protects us from the worsening droughts, floods and wildfires.Yet, every second, an equivalent of four football fields of healthy land becomes degraded, adding up to a total of 100 million hectares each year.
Growing word populations, coupled with unsustainable production and consumption patterns, fuel demand for natural resources, putting excessive pressure on land to the point of degradation. Desertification and drought are driving forced migration, putting tens of millions of people each year at risk of displacement.
Of the world’s 8 billion inhabitants, over one billion of young people under the age of 25 years live in developing countries, particularly in regions directly dependent on land and natural resources for sustenance. Creating job prospects for rural populations is a viable solution that gives young people access to eco-entrepreneurship opportunities and at the same time to scale up best practices. Each USD invested in land restoration can yield up to 30 USD in return.
Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya on unveiled Kenya’s wetlands restoration strategy with a call for more participation of local communities including youth, women and children in environmental conservation activities.
Speaking at a meeting of Regional and County Directors of Environment and Conservators of Forests as well as County Executive Committee Members (CECMs) for Environment, Hon Tuya said her Ministry had adopted a catchment approach to restoration of wetlands as opposed to localised interventions which often fail.
“Restoration and rehabilitation of wetlands is a priority and should be done on a catchment scale or as a basin. I am happy this is the approach that the State Department for Environment and Climate Change has taken.
“Wetland restoration that is done at local scale is often negated by degradation upstream or downstream, and when it is done in this uncoordinated manner, it is shortlived and the benefits are not fully realized,” Hon Tuya said.
On greater participation of local communities in environmental conservation including wetlands restoration, the Cabinet Secretary said their involvement would help create jobs in line with the Kenya Kwanza administration’s bottom-up economic model.
“We can be inspired by one of the most successful wetlands restorations initiatives, the Working for Wetlands in South Africa, a 20-year wetlands restoration program that resulted in the generation of 37,000 jobs mostly for youth and women. This can also be done here in Kenya,” Hon Tuya said.
The Cabinet Secretary said her Ministry had prioritized wetlands restoration as part of the Government’s flagship project of expanding Kenya’s tree cover from the current 12.3 to 30 percent by the year 2032 by growing 15 billion trees over the decade.
“So, this strategy that the State Department for Environment and Climate Change has taken, will satisfy amongst others, the dual role of meeting the 15 billion national tree growing and restoration target but also help the country in combating climate change,” she said.
At the meeting convened by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), Hon Tuya also spoke about her Ministry’s priority areas of ecosystem restoration through the 15 billion tree growing programme, circular economy and climate action.
She said her Ministry was in the process of amending the Climate Change Act to “deliver a carbon markets framework that is transparent and has integrity” because of the market’s great potential to finance Kenya’s climate change mitigation and adaptation programs.
In line with last year’s Sustainable Waste Management Act, Hon Tuya said her Ministry was working on developing a vibrant circular economy that will transform the over 8 million metric tonnes of waste Kenya generates annually into raw material for industrial production.
She called for an all-society approach in the roll out of the 15 billion tree growing programme, and challenged counties to emulate national government institutions and private sector by adopting degraded forests and virgin acreage in their jurisdictions for reafforestation and afforestation.
“As county governments, your governors at the last summit in Naivasha committed to allocating 20% of FLOCCA funds to the 15 billion national tree growing programme. As officers in charge of the sector, please use your good offices to ensure that these commitments are realised,” the CS told the CECM’s.
Hon Tuya said that as Cabinet Secretary she was determined to ensure that collaboration between her Ministry and Counties in environmental conservation was strengthened, and thanked NEMA for organizing the inaugural two-day inter-governmental meeting on environmental conservation.
“As Cabinet Secretary, I acknowledge the work that Counties do in environment, climate change and forestry, and it is for this reason that I will seek to strengthen the partnership between the Ministry and county governments in the life of my administration. This meeting is one such, and many more will follow.
“Our coming together as national and county governments is important for the environment function. These meetings and conferences should not be ad hoc. They should be part of the policy implementation continuum to help deliver the country’s environment mandate and promise,” the CS said.
At the same time, Hon Tuya directed the State Department of Environment and Climate Change to fast-track the enactment of an inter-governmental coordination framework to ensure proper coordination of the environment function between the Ministry and Counties.
Further, the Cabinet Secretary directed NEMA, working with Counties, to ensure the gazettement and operationalization of all county environment committees as well as appointment of more county-based environment inspectors.
Other speakers on the first day of the two-day meeting were Principal Secretary for Environment and Climate Change Eng Festus Ng’eno who presented the wetlands restoration strategy, and the Director General of NEMA Mr Mamo B Mamo.
TONIQO, HORRI GUDHA WETLANDS LAUNCHED
The Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Cabinet Secretary, Hon. Soipan Tuya commissioned the Toniqo and Horri ghudha wetlandsnon July 6, 2023.
The two wetlands are located in North Horr, Marsabit County and have been rehabilitated by NEMA through fencing and tree planting to allow them to regenerated.
World Ocean Day is celebrated annually on 8th June to raise global awareness on the benefit that humankind derives from the Oceans, and our individual and collective use of their resources sustainably. The event was designated by the United Nation in 1992 when the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development was held in Rio de Janeiro.
The International theme of this year’s World Ocean Day is “Innovation for Sustainable Oceans”. The theme is especially relevant as a precursor to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development which is from 2021 to 2030.
World Ocean Day also aims to promote the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically Goal 14 on Conservation and Sustainable use of the Oceans, Seas and Marine Resources. Also to promote Sustainable Blue Economy in the world’s coastal states including Kenya.
Events
A number of events are being organized to celebrate World Ocean Day 2020 in Kenya These include:
- A public stakeholder seminar on Blue Economy organised by the East African Institute on 8th June 2020 from 2.00 to 3.30 pm. The theme of the seminar is “Towards an inclusive and Resilient Blue Economy in Kenya and Eastern Africa”.
- Virtual Ocean Dialogue organized by the United Nations and World Economic Forum from 1st to 5th June 2020. This virtual conference was held in place on the 2nd United Nations Oceans Conference that was supposed to be co-hosted by Portugal and Kenya in Lisbon and was postponed to a later date
- A stakeholder webinar on 8th June 2020 to commemorate World Ocean Day. The theme of the webinar is “Role of Science and Innovation in Sustainable Blue Growth Researchers from Kenya’s Coastal and Marine sectors will give presentations at the webinar.
- NEMA and Watamu Marine Association (WMA) have organized public beach clean-up exercises in Watamu on 8th June 2020 Representatives from various Government institutions, Non-Governmental Organizations and the Private Sector, including local Hoteliers, and members of the public have been mobilized to support and participate in the event. Solid waste will be collected from the various beaches such as flip flops, plastics and glass will be taken for recycling and processing of other products at the WMA waste recycling centre in Watamu. The number of participants will be limited and safeguard measures implemented at the event in line with the Government Regulation on Covid 19.
The World Environment Day national celebrations was held on 5th June, 2024 at the University of Embu grounds in Embu County guided by the theme- Land Restoration, Desertification and Drought Resilience.
The Chief Guest, CS Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, Hon. Soipan Tuya stated that in order to address land degradation and restore our ecosystems, we need to embrace tree growing and achieve the 15 Billion by 2032. She added that this will go hand in hand with the ecosystem restoration particularly adoption of wetlands by communities and institutions.
CS Tuya thanked NEMA for spearheading the “adopt a wetland” initiative where 60 wetlands have been adopted for conservation mainly by Universities countrywide.
Governor, Embu County, Hon. Cecily Mbarire who hosted the event emphasized on the need to collaborate to address desertification and drought in the County. She expressed her commitment to ensure environment is protected within the County.
The Government is determined to ensure that Kenya fully restores her degraded landscapes and ecosystems through the ‘whole-of-society, whole-of-Government’ approach where everyone has a role to play, guided by the 10-year National Landscape and Ecosystem Restoration Strategy, the anchor framework of the 15 billion National Tree Growing Programme. “But as the Government does so, it will not sit back and watch as a few people negate the concerted national efforts by continuing to destroy the little that’s left of our forests and protected areas by perpetuating ecosystem illegalities,” CS Tuya said.
She further asked people illegally occupying riparian lands, wetlands, forests and all other protected ecosystems to heed repeated Government calls to vacate these areas voluntarily before it is too late. She added that the Government will intensify ongoing multi-agency security operation across the country to end all forms of ecosystem illegalities including brazen occupation of gazetted forests. At the same time, the CS applauded the courts, for recent progressive rulings that forbid illegal occupation of gazetted forests.
NEMA Chairman, Emilio Mugo noted that World Environment Day calls on the world to reflect upon pressing environmental challenges facing Kenya and the World. “Realities of land degradation and need to build resilience and restore landscapes to sustain life is critical. We need to revitalize our lands and the planet,” he added.
NEMA Director General, Mamo B. Mamo, EBS said that environmental protection is a matter of life and death. “We have to do everything within our abilities to protect the environment,” Mamo said.
University of Embu has signed an MoU with NEMA to restore and rehabilitate Kiambuthi wetland in Embu town, Embu County. The wetland will be surveyed and fenced to stop encroachment. In the long, the University in conjunction with the County will establish a park as part of the restoration efforts. Kiambuthi wetland restoration was launched during the event.
During the celebrations, NEMA coordinated planting of over 10,000 tree seedlings at various schools and wetlands.
The event was also attended by PS Dr Esther Muoria (TVETs and CEO Smachs Foundation, Charlene Ruto who called on the young people to embrace bee keeping as a way of coping with desertification and drought.
