Anthony Kitimo
31 March 2008
Nairobi — Kenya will soon have a national environmental policy, it has been learnt.
The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has initiated the process of developing a policy that will support integration of environmental issues into development planning.
Speaking during a stakeholders' meeting in Mombasa, National Steering Committee chairperson Joyce Isiaho said that environmental degradation has increased yet there are no national policies governing the conservation of natural resources.
"Kenya is faced with diverse and complex environmental challenges because it has been operating without an endorsed environmental policy. This will be a broad move in attaining relevant goals, principles and themes of environmentalism and sustainable development," said Ms Isiaho.
She said that the new policy will attempt to identify the environmental challenges the country is facing. It is also intended to guide regulatory reforms, programmes and projects for environmental conservation.
"Many health problems especially in urban areas are caused or exacerbated by environmental pollution, lack of access to clean water, unsafe waste disposal and poor sanitation.
"The effects of global warming are already evident in Kenya - rivers have dried up, poor rainfalls are being experienced and the glacier in Mt Kenya region is disappearing due to rising temperatures. The environmental changes will affect the capacity of our lands. There is need for urgent implementation of environmental policies to prevent further depletion of our environment," said Ms Isiaho.
Taskforce chairman Prof Titus Mukiama said that the process of developing the environmental policy involves strategic stakeholders, using participatory and consultative approaches.
Prof Mukiama said that the taskforce would ensure that the diverse environmental and sustainable development issues facing the nation are clearly articulated, documented and strategies to address them are mapped out.
He said that the draft of the new policy will be submitted to the Minister for Environment and Natural Resources in two months and later forwarded to parliament for debate and adoption.
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