SPEECH by Oto at The 2nd Consultative Forum on Waste Management

28^th August 2012

SPEECH from Mr. Odhiambo T Oketch- Executive Director- The Clean Kenya Campaign-TCKC, during The 2^nd Consultative Forum on Waste Management at the KICC on the 28^th August 2012.

The Hon Jamleck Kamau- Minister for Nairobi Metropolitan Development,

The Hon Mutula Kilonzo- Minister for Education,

Dr. Kepha Ombacho- Chief Public Health Officer- Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation.

Mr. Titus Simiyu- Provincial Director of Environment- Nairobi Province,

The Directors of Environment present,

All protocols observed,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to this Forum.

But first, let us be upstanding in memory of the many Kenyans who have lost their lives in our Country this Month of August. Specifically, let us remember our Brothers and Sisters who have been killed in the Tana Delta, in Mandera, in Garissa, in Asumbi and Hon Joseph Martin Shikuku and Mrs Josephine Michuki.

As we assemble here at this Forum today, we want to look at the Practical Steps we all need to take towards the process of Separation of Waste at Source. Nairobi is the Capital City of Kenya and the Headquarters of Unep, and management of waste has simply become a challenge to the Team that has been tasked with this responsibility.

Remember, we will be turning 50 Years next Year on the 1^st June 2013, and we must decide what we want to bequeath our progeny.

We cannot be shifting waste and dumping it at some point and calling that Waste Management. No. Waste Management is a deliberate process that creates a value chain that can put bread on the table- through Recycling, Reusing, Reducing and Conversion. Technologies abound the World over on how this can be achieved. We have Towns and Cities across the World that have achieved Zero-Tolerance to Waste, and Nairobi, being the Capital City of Kenya, and being the Headquarters of Unep cannot fail.

With a population of almost 4 million people, Nairobi is generating about 2,400 tons of waste daily. This is being managed by a lean workforce of almost 600 people without adequate working tools and equipment. This number can definitely not keep Nairobi Clean. And this calls for concerted efforts from all Stakeholders.

We are happy the Bible commands all of us to live in Cleanliness so that we can be nearer to God the Almighty. Our Constitution at Chapter 4 article 42 gives us the right to a Clean and Healthy Environment. At Chapter 5 Article 69 1 (d) encourage public participation in the management,
protection and conservation of the environment.

We are hence doing what is right before God and in respect to the Constitution of Kenya.

The situation as obtaining in Nairobi is true of all Towns across Kenya. And this is why we have convened this Forum, so that, as a Team, given that we know the problem, we cannot keep living like what we have seen as the status of Nairobi. What we must do is to propose what ought to be done, develop time lines and make practical commitments to sort the menace that is Waste and Garbage dumps in Kenya as a whole. We must all move very deliberately to start the process of separation of waste at source as a first step towards creating cleaner Cities.

We must then identify all the end users, people who can convert waste into wealth. During this Forum, we will get a presentation from Bamburi Cement on how they can convert waste into raw material for cement production. We will also get a presentation from Oxfam GB on what they are doing at Mukuru Estate with waste.

During plenary, we will get first hand experiences from people who have invested in waste management and the Kenya Association of Manufacturers will guide us in this process. We will also get a presentation from Mzee Simon Munywe who in his own small ways is converting waste into poles, roofing tiles, fuel briquettes and more. We will also get presentations from Kounkuey Design Initiative/Usalama Youth. COOPI, and a few more best practices that offer Practical Interventions.

These are interventions which prove that the Government must invest in creating an enabling environment for all investors who might want to invest in Waste Management. We have had sad cased where the Government did not support investors who stepped forward to help us in this area. We all remember the Jacoroozi Team that wanted to invest in Waste Management in Mombasa and their efforts were scuttled by the vested interest group within the corridors of power.

In Nairobi, one investor even wanted to invest in Trucks to help clean Nairobi and all he wanted was to be given permission to take the waste. All the waste. But City Hall refused, and yet, they are incapable of handling the waste situation in Nairobi.

Again, a small investor was interested in the organic waste from Wakulima Market. The person even offered to pay for the waste that he would be picking and again, the vested interests at City Hall refused, yet, waste is clogging Nairobi, the Capital City of Kenya and the Headquarters of Unep.

Moving forward, there are some deliberate steps we must make in this Journey of Hope across Kenya;

1.     Investment in Equipments; The Central Government must invest in adequate tools and equipments to empower our Local Authorities execute their mandate. But as we do this, the Local Authorities must also embrace the spirit of the Public, Private Partnership and be innovative. They must create partnerships that can help them lord over clean Towns.

2.     Motivation- The Local Council employees must be motivated through various means to up their morale and interest in work. They must be well equipped, trained, housed and given the wherewithal with which to execute their mandate.

3.     Leadership- there must be deliberate and determined leadership which is success oriented. It beats all logic when one boasts of his or her academic credentials yet s/he is incapable of offering inspiring leadership that is results oriented.

4.     Education- we must invest in massive Education and Awareness Campaign to help sensitize Kenyans on the need for keeping our Towns and neighborhoods clean.

5.     Public, Private Partnership- let us make it real.

6.     Waste as Wealth- Let us invest in Waste Recycling Plants across the Towns as we encourage all investors who have the technical know-how to convert waste into wealth, up scale and build capacities of ongoing ones.

7.     Best Practices- We have several Towns across East Africa who have within a very short time made their Towns very clean. We need to learn from the Port City of Asmara, Kigali, Moshi and Mwanza on how they have achieved such tremendous success with keeping their Towns Clean.

From this Forum, we must develop an evaluation criteria for our Cities, Colleges and Estates, such that come December 6^th 2012, we will all assemble here again to Review Progress. We also want to involve our schools to enjoin in the Campaign. And lastly, we want to invite all of you to be our Pillars in The Clean Kenya Campaign across all Kenya.
Let us all work for a Clean Kenya as a Transformative Deliverable for Kenya as we turn 50.