Kenya takes steps to protect environment

And to effectively address the problem, the Kenyan Government has put in place apt legislative strategies and mechanisms to ensure proper and sustainable management of energy, forest resources and land and settlement.
Speaking during the 22nd session of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) governing council/global ministerial environment forum at the UNEP headquarters in Nairobi, Dr Kulundu, said the new Kenyan Government was committed to the ideals of proper environmental management to ensure sound sustainable development.
He at the same time, cautioned that although poverty is viewed as a problem that mainly afflicts the poor nations, it also negatively impacts on the rich ones.
“This amounts to continued marginalisation of developing countries, particularly in Africa, leading to social exclusion of a vast majority of the people,” he said and added:.
“The Millennium Declaration spells out that the struggle against poverty is a shared responsibility of all.”
The Minister commended UNEP for considering including poverty in its work programme. “Eradicating poverty and hunger as well as promoting sustainable livelihoods are central to the achievement of sustainable development. This requires economic and social development, sustainable resource management and environmental conservation,” he said.
Dr Kulundu said the Kenyan Government had embarked on the development of a comprehensive land use policy which will achieve the above ideals through supportive legal framework.
He said it was sad and tragic that forests in Kenya have suffered massive destruction over the past years through illegal excisions, encroachments and unauthorised settlements.
However, he added that he was optimistic that recent policy responses that have been adopted will halt this wanton destruction of forests.
“So far, some critical ecosystems have been fenced off, such as the Aberdare National Park, with a view to minimising human-wildlife conflicts. The government is promoting public education and community empowerment at the grassroots level to sensitise the local communities on the need to protect and conserve forests. It is committed to undertaking aggressive restoration of forest cover in the country through reafforestation programmes.” he said.
The Kenyan Environment Minister said it was necessary for the Government to intervene and implement strategies aimed at protecting ecosystems in their totality in order to enhance integrated management of environmental resources.
The Minister assured the delegates at the forum that Kenya fully supported the decision taken at the recent Johannesburg Summit on Sustainable Development that addresses the three objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity. He said this was because the country possesses one of the largest biodiversities in the world and was a member of the Group of Mega-Diverse Like-Minded Countries.
Said Dr Kulundu, “UNEP reports vividly show that the most formidable challenge facing us now and in the near future is and will be the need to ensure a sustainable balance between economic development and globalisation on the one hand, and the protection of the environment on the other. Current projections indicate that the society of this millennium will be predominantly urban.”
He,however, was concerned that the situation raises serious concerns about the sustainability of production of goods and services, as well as consumption patterns and waste management systems.
“There’s need, therefore, to implement strategies such as those adopted at the Johannesburg Summit, to address such challenges in order to safeguard against further degradation of the environment and ensure quality life in the world,” he said.
The Minister said the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) should be supported as it provides a viable framework for the development of the African region as well as addressing environmental management issues.
“Kenya reiterates her commitment to the full implementation of NEPAD and other indigenous frameworks that address Africa’s problems,” he explained.
Dr Kulundu said that Kenya had reviewed the Water Act to harmonise it with two other new strategies on Integrated Water Resource Management and the other on Water Supply Services. He added that the implementation has been slow because of financial and technological constraints.
He admitted that , although previous efforts show that there is agreement on what needs to be done, the actions taken to date have failed to effectively address the water crisis.
The Kenyan delegation at the forum called for the continued collaboration between UNEP and the United Nations Department of Humanitarian Affairs in order to enhance the ability of the UN to respond to environmental emergencies, especially with respect to developing countries that have minimal disaster preparedness and resources for timely response to such emergencies.
The delegation called for the establishment of a trust fund for environmental emergencies to ease the existing shortcomings of human and financial resources in order to enable the two agencies to further undertake their activities.