By Kurgat Marindany
County Assemblies Forum Chairman has called on environmental lobby groups to propose laws and policies to county assemblies that can positively impact livelihoods of Kenyans.
CAF chair and Kajiado County Assembly Speaker, Johnson Osoi, said this while giving his speech on ‘sustainable solid waste management legal framework’ during a regional environmental conference at Multimedia University recently.
The meeting that brought together about 500 participants from Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Congo, South Sudan and Tanzania was organized by Augustinian Community Foundation and is geared to start an environment advocacy pilot project in Kajiado County.
Osoi, who was chief guest, said engaging county assemblies on environmental matters will go a long way in promoting environmental issues at grassroots.
This was after the organisation’s Africa president, Vincent Osubiro said championing of environmental matters is a culture that must be instilled by all.
“I call on civil societies to propose policies, bills and provide relevant information to county assemblies, and importantly meet and engage relevant committees in order to form part of the best environment laws in our counties,” said Osoi.
Quoting the Nobel Laureate, the late Wangari Mathai, CAF chair said; “Nature is not forgiving” and “therefore we must value it by attaching necessary resources for the sake of our environment.”
He said countries have over the years shifted from mere encouragement to law agreements purposely to mitigate adverse effects of pollution in the environment.
The speaker assured participants that Kajiado assembly will soon enact a law on waste management.
“As law makers in the counties we have enormous tasks to enact laws that will help this nation manage the solid wastes as well as other forms of pollution,” noted Osoi. He said the Kajiado County assembly plans to promote robust tree planting in all the wards around the county, which will see ten thousand of trees being planted per ward annually.
“We have already put in place measures to engage our 25 ward staffs in a social responsibility programme that will see the assembly help plant ten thousand trees per ward. In order to be part of the global environmental concern we must go beyond our mandate to improve our environmental ambience,” Osoi told the participants.
ACF President, Vincent Osubiro, said that environment must be the role of all for better lives of all.
“We are confident that by engaging communities, leaders and especially law makers in Africa our homes, working places will be safer,” said Osubiro.
Professor Bob White of Tangaza University, who gave a speech on current state of waste management in Kenya, said that there is much need on social transformation to overcome the real threats in the environment.