Waste Management- Time for action

Friends,
An Integrated Solid Waste Management Strategy 2010-2030 for the City of Nairobi has been developed with the Financial and Technical Support from the UNEP and active participation from the City Council of Nairobi- now Nairobi City County, the University of Cape Town, the University of Nairobi, JKUAT, and many Research Teams. It is comprehensive and detailed.
The question of Waste and Waste Management has been with us for so long and now, as we prepare to celebrate 50 Years of our Independence, we must do something on the same.

This is Nairobi City- reflecting the general status of most of our Towns.

On the 11th July 2012, The Clean Kenya Campaign- now The Clean Africa Campaign hosted The 1st Consultative Forum on Waste Management at Charter Hall in partnership with the Public Service Transformation Department, NEMA, CCN, UNEP and others and we identified a few challenges that have compounded the Waste Management Sector as;

1. Vested Interests
2. Lethargy from the Public Servants
3. Institutional Capacities and
4. Mindsets and attitudes from both the Public Servants and the Public

We then agreed on the following;

1. Making Waste Management a NationalConcern
2. Continuing with awareness campaigns but complimented with practical interventions
3. Enforcement of the By-Laws by the various Council Enforcement Officers
4. Creating clear regulations which are then made available to the public
5. Consolidating all efforts by the many players on the Waste Management front and
6. Building Capacities for the various Waste Handlers

On the 28th August 2012, again in Partnership with the Public Service Transformation Department, the CCN, NEMA, UNEP, A Better World, Mugumo Communication and other Partners, we hosted The 2nd Consultative Forum on Waste Management at the KICC whose theme was; Making Practical Steps towards the Process of Separation of Waste at Source.
During this Forum, we had the following resolutions;

1. Formation of a Two Tier Think Tank Group to help move the question of Waste Management forward
2. Formulation of a Media Strategy to help enjoin the Media as Key Partners in working for a Clean Kenya
3. Formation of a Consortium on Waste Management to help look at how Waste can be used as Raw Resource by the various Industry players and
4. Develop a Structured engagement with the Government, the Counties and the Development Partners.

Our drive was cut short by the Election Feavor when the process of Registering Kenyans as Voters started in November followed by the campaign period. We at The Clean Africa Campaign were involved in both processes and we had to take a break from the Environmental Management Campaign which has been our 1st Pillar. Remember Peace Building and Good Governance are our 2nd and 3rd Pillars and we can never ran away from them..
With the Elections over, and the Governors sworn in to office, we must now move on and focus on how to celebrate our Silver Jubilee on the 1st June 2013 in Cleaner Towns and Cities. The Unep and other Partners have made it now easier by developing the Integrated Solid Waste Management Strategy for Nairobi, something that we will effectively juxtapose for Mombasa and Kisumu, in what Mr. Henry Ndede of the Unep has called The Tale of Three Cities.
The residents of Kondele in Kisumu joining with us in a Clean up Campaign
The time for Studies and Workshops are now over. It is now time for action and we at The Clean Africa Campaign are happy with the kind of responses we have received on this front. As the Governors settle down to their offices, we must all join hands and help them make Kenya Clean. Waste is a Raw Resource that we can use for making several things. We must move away from shifting waste to our dumpsites and neighbourhoods and develop a more creative way of using Waste as the next Frontier for National Development and Employment Creation.
Already, we have started a Training Programme on Waste Management in partnership with EcoPost and we are focusing on Plastic Waste as a Raw Resource for production.

Peace and blessings as we work for a Clean Kenya, a Clean Africa and a Better World.

Odhiambo T Oketch,

Executive Director,

The Clean Africa Campaign-TCAC.