Moving towards 28th August 2012

Friends,
We are moving towards The 2nd Consultative Forum on Waste Management on the 28th August 2012 at the KICC where our focus will be on Making Practical Steps towards the Process of Separation of Waste at Source, and to make this happen, we hosted the 2nd Planning Session at the NEMA Nairobi offices this morning.
Our National Focus is on Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret and Nyeri. And as we do all this, we will have an Award System for three Categories on the 6th December 2012 again at the KICC;

1. The Cleanest Town
2. The Cleanest Estates- three from each Town, and
3. The Cleanest Colleges and Institutions of Higher Learning

Today's meeting was attended by;

1. Ms Anne Theuri- NEMA Nairobi- she flagged off the meeting and left for another asignment.
2. Ms Sarah Muthoni- NEMA Nairobi
3. Mr. Mario Kainga- Assistant Director of Environment at the City Council of Nairobi
4. Mr. Kepha Rinsyi Bikwati- CEO Institute of Packaging of Kenya
5. Mr. Geoffrey Mutuku- Policy Officer Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources,
6. Mr. Odhiambo T Oketch- Executive Director TCKC- Chairing.

Seated; Mr. Mario Kainga from the City Council of Nairobi and Ms Sarah Muthoni from Nema. Standing L-R; Mr. Kepha Rinsyi from the IOPK, Odhiambo T Oketch- TCKC and Mr. Geoffrey Mutuku from the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources.

We had apologies from;

1. Mr. Titus Simiyu- Provincial Director of Environment Nairobi- He was well represented,
2. Ms Tracey Masinde- Public Service Transformation Department at the Office of the Prime Minister- She telephoned and gave her report
3. Ms Susan Wanjohi- Ministry of Education- 
4. Mr. Simon Kimani- Kenya Medical Training College
5. Ms Beatrice Kithinji- Kenya Association of Manufacturers- She called and gave her report
6. Ms Doreen Ivy- Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources

We are moving strategically towards the 2nd Forum and as we continue with the planning process, I must appreciate the commitment that we have seen from our Partners. We are really thankful to the following Institutions;
1] Key Partners;

1. The Public Service Transformation Department at the Office of the Prime Minister
2. The National Environment Management Authority

2] Strategic Partners;

1. The Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources
2. Ministry of Local Government
3. Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation
4. Ministry of Education- Strategic Partners
5. Ministry of State for Special Programmes
6. Ministry of Nairobi Metropolitan Development
7. The City Council of Nairobi
8. The City Council of Mombasa
9. The City Council of Kisumu
10. The Municipal Council of Eldoret
11. The Municipal Council of Nyeri
12. A Better World
13. The Institute of Packaging of Kenya,
14. Vision 2030 Delivery Secretariat
15. and all Friends who believe in a Clean Kenya

We are reaching out for more partnerships in this Campaign. It has not been easy, and I can confirm,it needs a lot of resilience and commitment to manage this process. This is why I have forever remained indebted to the small team of Friends who have consistently supported our logistics, administration and reach outs. I will publish the list of this small Team on Friday for posterity.
Lastly, as we approach the 28th August, I am happy to report that the following Teams have indicated their wish to particpate during The 2nd Consultative Forum on Waste Management at the KICC;

1. The Public Service Transformation Department
2. The National Environment Management Authority
3. The Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources
4. The Ministry of Local Government
5. The Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation
6. The Ministry of Education
7. The Ministry of State for Special Programmes
8. The Ministry of Nairobi Metropolitan Development
9. The City Council of Nairobi,
10. The Institute of Packaging of Kenya
11. Disaster and Environment Management Association- Masinde Muliro University
12. Chepkoilel Environment Association- CUESA
13. Lake Bogoria National Reserve
14. Kayole Waste Management Association
15. PYGRON- Pumwani Youths Group Association
16. Fountain Youth Initiative
17. International Youth Council of Kenya
18. Kenya Institute of Social Work and Community Development
19.  

We will be accrediting two participants from the Groups that would like to participate.
This will be a Forum with a difference and your active participation, engagement and support is hereby invited.
As we move The Clean Kenya Campaign across Kenya, we want to continue appreciating our Key Partners- The Public Service Transformation Department and the National Environment Management Authority, and all our Strategic Partners for their continued support.
Let us all work for a Clean Kenya as a Transformative Deliverable as we turn 50.

Odhiambo T Oketch,
Executive Director,

The Clean Kenya Campaign-TCKC

Tel; 0724 365 557
Email; komarockswatch@yahoo.com
Blogspot; http://kcdnkomarockswatch.blogspot.com
Website; www.kcdnkenya.org
Facebook; Odhiambo T Oketch 
Facebook; Monthly Nationwide Clean up Campaign
Mailing Group; friendsofkcdn@yahoogroups.com  

The Clean Kenya Campaign is an Initiative of The KCDN Kenya.

Kisumu is rearing to go......Clean

Friends,
Kisumu is rearing to go Clean, and the Town Civic and Administrative Leadership have confirmed this.
In a meeting this morning with His Worship the Mayor- Cllr Sam Okello, he made it clear that he will be in the front line in mobilizing for massive participation for the September 15th Clean up in Kisumu that will involve the whole Town.
We then met with the Town Clerk Mr. Chris O Rusana- who equally said that his personal interest is to administer over a Clean City, and to this extent, his Officers and himself will do all in their power to make September 15th a huge success.
I later paid a Courtesy Call on the Acting Kisumu East DC Mr. Cheboi Willy, who equally pledged the support of the Provincial Administration.
Earlier, I was hosted by the Director of Environment Mr. John Sande, and we reviewed the practical steps that Kisumu must take to attain Clean standard. The Team in Kisumu under His Worship the Mayor have really done some good work, and they are not yet there, but we need the concerted efforts of every body to make this dream of a Clean City happen.
To this extent, I want to appeal to all our Members of Parliament to join in The Clean Kenya Campaign and help achieve Clean Cities as our transformative deliverable for Kenya when we turn 50 Years next Year.
This is a Dream we can achieve. We must hence put in all then efforts, and even resources to help power the Dream.
On behalf of The Clean Kenya Campaign- TCKC, I want to sincerely thank His Worship the Mayor of Kisumu, the Town Clerk City Council of Kisumu, the Director of Environment at the Council, and the DC Kisumu East District for the warm reception they all accorded me, and more so for keeping Kisumu Clean.
Let us compliment their efforts as our Teams- The Clean Kenya Campaign and the City Council of Kisumu start planning for Kisumu 15th September.

Odhiambo T Oketch,
Executive Director,

The Clean Kenya Campaign-TCKC

Tel; 0724 365 557
Email; komarockswatch@yahoo.com
Blogspot; http://kcdnkomarockswatch.blogspot.com
Website; www.kcdnkenya.org
Facebook; Odhiambo T Oketch 
Facebook; Monthly Nationwide Clean up Campaign
Mailing Group; friendsofkcdn@yahoogroups.com  

The Clean Kenya Campaign is an Initiative of The KCDN Kenya.

Kondele Youth seeking for justice

Friends,
I have been in Kisumu for a series of meetings and yesterday, I was in two such very crucial ones.
I will give details of the first later after some more consultations to give form to what we were discussing has taken shape. The second was with the Leaders of the Kondele and Kisumu Matatu Routes, who were recently in the media agitating for some issues.
The problem was, the media did not give attention to what these Kenyans were agitating for. Instead, we were treated to the side shows where innocent Kenyans were harassed as a consequence to the demonstrations.
I had watched these demos on TV and my mind went racing to what The Clean Kenya Campaign Team could do to assist pacify the situation and address the issues the Touts were raising. Remember, our second Mandate is Peace Building. It was easy for me to initiate a discussion with this Team because just recently, in March, we hosted a very successful Clean up Campaign at Kondele.
I hence made contact with our Team on the ground and within some record time, we had assembled all the Team Leaders who took part in the demonstrations. I want to salute the 16 Team Leaders under the leadership of Mr. Isaac Oyange and Mr. Maurice Ogola for organizing this meeting.
Several issues were raised, and I picked 4 cardinal issues The Clean Kenya Campaign will raise with the relevant authorities shortly;

1. The Kondele Team, and the Kisumu Matatu Crew in general are complaining about the arbitrary fines they are being subjected to by the Courts for Traffic Offenses. They are saying that they are being fined as much as Kshs 100,000.00 for the arrested Vehicles and for the Matatu Crews. They have raised this matter with the authorities and it has not been addressed. They feel this is crippling their business.
2. The Kondele Team and the Kisumu Matatu Crew in general are complaining that there are far too many Traffic Police Road Blocks in Nyanza and each Road Block is extorting money from them. This is crippling their business and making them work for the Police instead. They have addressed this issue with the relevant authorities to no avail.
3. The Kondele Team and the Kisumu Matatu Crew and Youths in general are asking what agenda the Government has for the too many idle Youths in the Lake Region. They have no access to any facility that can help change their lives for the better and they are faced with constant Police harassment. Many are being arrested on trumped up charges and nothing is being done to help their situation.
4. Lastly, The Kondele Team and the Kisumu Matatu Crew and Youths in general are lamenting the absence of the elected leadership. They are complaining that they only become useful to the politicians at election times and immediately after the elections are won, the said leaders disappear. This is an issue the local political leadership might need to look at and address.

Another issue that came up but which I will not list amongst the 4 is the attitude of the Provincial Police Officer Nyanza on the Matatu Crews. They think this Public Officer has low esteem of them and has said on several occasions that he can never discuss with a Manamba. I also find this offensive.
These are only some of the issues these Youths are complaining about and the sad thing is, no elected leader has ever sat down with them to listen to their plight. I want to believe that they have genuine issues that need to be addressed and this is why, I will start by raising the same issues with His Worship the Mayor and the Town Clerk of the City Council of Kisumu today.
Later on in the day, The Clean Kenya Campaign will raise the same issues with the Chief Justice, the Traffic Commandant, the Police Commissioner and the Rt Hon Prime Minister.
As we work for a Clean Kenya, we also want to impress upon our leaders to give audience to their electorates and help solve some of the issues they raise. In the same vein, we are imploring upon the Kenyan Youths not to harass innocent Kenyans as they agitate for their rights. Your issues might get lost in the process, just like the issues of the Kisumu Youth were lost in their recent demonstrations.
We all need to invite the confidence of the investor community to our Country and we are happy that His Excellency the President was recently in London wooing for Direct Foreign Investment in Kenya. These are the Corporates who might pitch Industries that might help mitigate the plights of our Youth.
We also need to raise the confidence of Local Investors. But if we harass and burn their investments, are we being helpful in building a cohesive Kenya?
As The Clean Kenya Campaign, we will be in the frontline to help address these issues. But we will also demand for a peaceful demonstrations where the real issues are not lost in any sideshows. And lastly, all demonstrators must respect the rights of Kenyans to Freedom of Movement. They must not hold Kenyans to ransom.

Odhiambo T Oketch,
Executive Director,

The Clean Kenya Campaign-TCKC

Tel; 0724 365 557
Email; komarockswatch@yahoo.com
Blogspot; http://kcdnkomarockswatch.blogspot.com
Website; www.kcdnkenya.org
Facebook; Odhiambo T Oketch 
Facebook; Monthly Nationwide Clean up Campaign
Mailing Group; friendsofkcdn@yahoogroups.com  

The Clean Kenya Campaign is an Initiative of The KCDN Kenya.

 

Discipline as a Factor in The Clean Kenya Campaign

Friends,
I left Town yesterday at about 7.45pm and as I was passing through Landhies Road, just around Machakos Bus Stage, I witnessed what has become the norm in the recent past; Matatus driving into Town driving on the wrong side of the road and condemning us to a stupid snarl up.
Along Jogoo Road, around Hamza, the same thing happened. Now it was Matatus traveling towards Donholm driving on the wrong side of the road and condemning those traveling to Town to a snarl up.
Such cases are very common across and it all boils down to discipline.
How disciplined are we as a people?
There must be something wrong with the Matatu driver who decides to do his thing on the wrong side of the road. There must also be something wrong with the passengers who are seated in this Matatu. And there is definitely something wrong with the law enforcement agencies who look the other side as we trample on simple traffic rules such as keeping left.
The beauty of a clean neighbourhood; University of Nairobi's Chiromo Campus
When one decides to drive on the wrong side of the road, there are several things that also go wrong. The Flower Beds that we are struggling to maintain in between the roads are destroyed; the trees we are planting along the roads are destroyed; the road cabs and pavements are destroyed, and with this, we begin a process of tear and wear on our roads. Yet, we are the ones who are taxed heavily for such roads to be built.
To work for a Clean Town, we must be disciplined in order to enforce the kind of standards that we desire. Our Towns will never be Clean by themselves. It is us, we the people, who must make the all needed steps to ensure we live in Clean Towns and Cities.
Depositing garbage by the roadside is a sure evidence of lack of discipline on our part.
Throwing things off the car as you drive is a sure evidence of lack of discipline on our part.
Refusing to enforce the law and the by-laws is a sure evidence of lack of discipline on our part.
Dereliction of duty is a sure lack of discipline on our part.
Lethargy in office is a sure lack of discipline on our part.
And as we match towards the 1st of June 2013 when we will be celebrating our 50th Independence anniversary, it is incumbent upon us to encourage discipline as a necessary ingredient in our National Psyche to help us move towards attaining the objects of the Vision 2030 as a Transformative Agenda for Kenya.
This is why in partnership with the Public Service Transformation Department at the Office of the Prime Minister, the National Environment Management Authority and other willing Partners, we are inviting all of us to join in The Clean Kenya Campaign. Please visit About Us in our Website- www.kcdnkeny.org and see what role you can play in this National Campaign.

Odhiambo T Oketch,
Executive Director,

The Clean Kenya Campaign-TCKC

Tel; 0724 365 557
Email; komarockswatch@yahoo.com
Blogspot; http://kcdnkomarockswatch.blogspot.com
Website; www.kcdnkenya.org
Facebook; Odhiambo T Oketch 
Facebook; Monthly Nationwide Clean up Campaign
Mailing Group; friendsofkcdn@yahoogroups.com  

The Clean Kenya Campaign is an Initiative of The KCDN Kenya.

Congratulations Ms Betty Maina

Friends,
We want to appreciate Ms Betty Maina- the CEO Kenya Association of Manufacturers, for having been named amongst 26 other Global Leaders by the UN Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-Moon to a high level Panel expected to recommend new global, social and environmental goals to the UN.
The Panel will be co-chaired by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and UK Prime Minister David Cameron.
The Panel will advice the UN on the global development agenda beyond 2015 and it will also include Japanese former Prime Minister Naoto Kan, South Africa's Graca Machel, South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-Hwan amongst others.
Chiromo Campus- University of Nairobi- a Clean Neighbourhood
We at  The Clean Kenya Campaign-TCKC are really elated to have Ms Maina nominated to such a high powered Panel. We hope her incisive inputs and advice will help advance the course for a Clean World.
As we celebrate her nomination, let us all join in The Clean Kenya Campaign as a Transformative Agenda for Kenya in pursuit of Vision 2030 and work towards the Process of Piloting Separation of Waste at Source as an economic activity to help mitigate the unemployment issues as we work towards realizing the objects of the First Medium Term Plans of the Kenya Vision 2030.
Congratulations and fly our Flag high.

Odhiambo T Oketch,
Executive Director,

The Clean Kenya Campaign-TCKC

Tel; 0724 365 557
Email; komarockswatch@yahoo.com
Blogspot; http://kcdnkomarockswatch.blogspot.com
Website; www.kcdnkenya.org
Facebook; Odhiambo T Oketch 
Facebook; Monthly Nationwide Clean up Campaign
Mailing Group; friendsofkcdn@yahoogroups.com  

The Clean Kenya Campaign is an Initiative of The KCDN Kenya.

BEAUTY OF QUALITY SERVICE DELIVERY AND CLEANER CITIES-RWANDAN CASE

Friends of Clean Kenya,

Yesterday, while watching news, I happened on a news feature about Rwanda, The Journey of Resilience which was carried on Citizen TV.

What caught my attention is related to what I wrote about yesterday, the parameters of clean cities. In my article, I belabored the point which that news feature brought out very clearly and simply; the correlation between quality service delivery and better cities.

Now, Kigali has cut its place among the top clean cities in Africa. It is not by default, it is difficult to establish the correlation between efficient, timely and quality service delivery and the joy of living in a town or city.

As argued in my article yesterday, the moment we begin looking at the bigger matrix of service delivery as complementary to improving our physical, social and economic environments, we will realize a positive transformation in our towns and cities.

This is why we are focusing this initiative not only on physical cleanliness as a parameter to determine how successful we are at attaining cleaner towns and cities but also how efficient and timely services are delivered. It is this aspect that complements achievement of cleaner environments.

The Rwanda Revenue Authority-RAA has already automated revenue collection, saving citizens’ time on queues but more so, collecting that revenue efficiently which in turn reduces tax evasion and increases the tax bracket. With increased revenue, your guess is as good as mine what the results would be to an economy. If the process is tedious, time consuming and frustrating, you can only imagine the result of the efforts of RRA and the services that will follow towards making life better.

Inefficiency in service delivery becomes an anathema to public office, once the public loose confidence in the quality of such service; it becomes Herculean to convince it to participate in enhancing development through that avenue.

However much we clean and secure waste in receptacles, if such waste is not collected and processed in a timely manner, it will eventually become a dump-site. This is what many of our councils face; the public looses the trust in their ability to deliver timely service and such lethargy quickly catches on with the residents. The result is the huge mounds of garbage we see around. On the converse, if you woke up to find garbage collected on time, streets spotlessly clean, litter bins placed all around, you would be a mad man to throw your litter anyhow, even your subconscious mind would not allow you!

As we head to Kisumu on Monday the 6^th of August to meet His Worship the Mayor of Kisumu and the Town Clerk of The Municipal Council of Kisumu, we hope these are some of the issues we will be putting on the table as the trans-formative agenda of The Clean Kenya Campaign-TCKC. Incidentally, The Mayor of Kisumu, is one among the very pragmatic public servants who has a vision for Kisumu City; to make Kisumu the cleanest town in the Great Lakes region. TCKC and our partners wish to work with him to achieve this.

We are hopeful that as we visit our towns and cities, we will take this trans-formative agenda to the ground, ensure we not only make our cities clean, build investor confidence through quality service delivery but also tourist attractions through scenic and captivating environments; cities clean and fresh enough worth visiting.

Nairobi is already ranked 4^th in Africa by the MasterCard Destination Cities Index as a popular destination, we need to work harder to clean it up to enable it compete outside Africa as a business and leisure destination.

The Municipal Council of Eldoret is already investing Ksh 700 million in waste recycling plants, we can only applaud them for these practical steps in line with what we will be discussing at KICC courtesy of The Public Service Transformation Department at OPM on the 28^th August 2012; Practical Steps towards Separation and Recycling of Waste. We appreciate the efforts of this department in shaping this trans-formative agenda for our towns and cities.

As our President spends time in London wooing investors, we must do the bit we can to ensure the investor environment is conducive and true to the commitments he makes.

We ought to partner with government through the Public Private Partnerships to implement government policy, especially the achievement of Vision 2030.

Best,

 

Otieno Sungu,

Programs Manager,

The Clean Kenya Campaign-TCKC

0729294743

Blogspot; http://kcdnkomarockswatch.blogspot.com

Facebook;

Website; http://www.kcdnkenya.org

WHAT MAKES A CLEAN CITY?

Kenya turns 50 next year; this is a milestone that many countries achieve in turmoil, disorder, squalor and filth.

Some countries find themselves without proper governments or public order as they attain such milestones. We are fortunate that as we turn 50 next year, we are a nation fairly intact in many ways, albeit with a myriad of challenges.

As we take stock of this turn, some basic and fundamental questions are good to ask. What strides have we made in the various targets we set as a nation? Are there certain targets that we can put in the bank as already attained? If not, as we turn 50 years, are there some we could round up and close as attained?

I want to invite the discussion narrowing down to clean cities and towns. Many talk about clean cities as just the cleanliness of the physical environment. In this campaign, together with our key partners, we wish to look at clean cities and towns not only from that narrow prism but from the wider sense of international practices.

When we say London is clean, that Tokyo is a clean city, that Milan is spotless, it is not just the physical elements that these towns have achieved. It is also the various components of services that come with such an environment.

These cities have gone beyond the physical cleanliness to encompass the concept of service delivery as core to cleaner environments. Accessible, timely and quality service forms part of the notion of a clean city or town and this is the tranformative agenda we are driving.

Recently, the MasterCard Destination Cities Index ranked Nairobi 4^th most popular destination in Africa. This is great for us as a country. However, do we have the prerequisite service delivery component to complement this ranking? If visitors came to Nairobi convinced by this ranking and tried to access some of our services, how happy would they be to return to Nairobi? It is thus very easy for such gains to be lost if the current garbage situation in our towns and cities is not reversed.

If they took a drive around the city and its neighborhood, are they likely to come across unsightly mounds of garbage and filth? Is it possible that they may loose a camera and wallet as they try to savor our heritage and scenery? Would we call the sights along some streets ‘picturesque and quite scenic?”

These are some of the indexes The Clean Kenya Campaign-TCKC and our key partners are grappling with.

Together with our key partners, The Public Service Transformation Department at the Office of The Prime Minister and The National Environment Management Authority-NEMA, we will host The 2nd Consultative Forum on Waste Management of at The KICC on the 28th August 2012 to discuss practical steps towards separation of waste at source as sustainable solution towards waste management.

We are happy to announce that we are documenting local initiatives in waste management whose capacities can be enhanced and up scaled. We are happy to announce that some of our key partners have already begun working on practical steps towards achieving separation of waste at source. The Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation has already pledged the placement of waste receptacles in estates and markets to enable waste recyclers collect specific waste in better form than what is currently happening in the Dandora dump site and other waste dumps.

In this regard, we will be hosting a cleanup and awareness campaign in partnership with the Municipal Council of Mombasa on the 18th August 2012. Similarly, the Municipal Council of Eldoret is today hosting the Eldoret Local Urban Forum at the town hall in Eldoret where our Chairman Mr. Elijah Agevi will be participating.At the same time, TCKC will be having a consultative meeting with His Worship The Mayor of Kisumu and the Town Clerk on Monday the 6th August 2012.

These are practical steps that we are taking with our key partners towards delivering a Clean Kenya by 1st June 2013 as a delivarable by the people of Kenya.

We trust that through this initiative, we are already delivering some pillars of Vision 2030 especially the Economic Pillar. We hope to deliver cleaner cities when Kenya turns 50 next year in June.Further to this delivery, we also hope that we shall begin reaping the gains of Vision 2030 when separation of waste at source becomes an economic activity employing our youth, creating wealth for the country and widening the tax bracket.

Under the Public Private Partnership-PPP and public participation as government policy, TCKC wishes to tremendously thank Mr. Emmanuel Lubembe, Head of Public Service Transformation Department and Mr. Titus Simiyu, Provincial Director of Environment- NEMA, Nairobi for their tireless efforts in assisting us shape strategy, encouraging and enriching our ideas and supporting our logistics through reaching out to partners.

We can only give back by undertaking to deliver what we have set out to achieve with this kind of support.

Best,

 

Otieno Sungu,

Programs Manager,

The Clean Kenya Campaign-TCKC

0729294743

Blogspot; http://kcdnkomarockswatch.blogspot.com

                                   

Website; http://www.kcdnkenya.org