Environmental protection in Kenya

Hi Kenjee,
Thanks for the post and the concern. I am a Kenyan and pursuing a course in environmental management and therefore, very much interested in what is happening around us.
for sure, waste management in Kenya is a big problem and most people do not sort their waste in to recyclables and non-recyclables. awareness levels are still way too low and sometimes its ignorance.
Disposal of plastic bags is very poor.

I am actually working on a project that can help address some of these issues because pollution rates are increasing at an alarming rate and the climate change issue is a threat to a developing country like this. Anyway, a lot needs to be done by the citizens and the leaders, in terms of recycling, using biodegradable bags, shifting to clean forms of energy, and a change of lifestyle in general.It is a collective responsibility so to speak.


I will be willing to share more

Belha Esavwa

Waste management is a massive problem.  Many areas don't have a waste collection service, so rubbish is either burned (causing pollution), or litters the countryside. Kenyans generally think that it's OK to throw litter. As a consequence, the environment is full of waste plastic, which won't decompose. Plastic bags are given out in most shops and supermarkets, which adds to the problem.

Kenya probably lacks the resources and infrastructure needed to set up waste sorting and recycling.

The government are taking greener steps in terms of energy, with the development of geothermal power generation and a move to install solar water heating panels on new build houses.  The government has also taken steps to try and manage the forests that are left, by tightening laws on logging, removing informal settlements and tree planting initiatives.

I think this is a very timely concern. As you mention plastic bags flying around is a major problem as they don’t decompose and if eaten by animals will harm their stomachs. Waste is generally not segregated and there is no system for recycling of bottles, paper, cardboards, etc. We have a house in Nkoroi where we will try to get the neighbourhood  to go together and segregate the waste with a view to compost the biodegradable waste and collect bottles and other things for recycling. I live with my Kenyan wife in Denmark and we do only from time to time come to Kenya. However, when we’re there we want to pursue this issue and we are interested to learn more about your experiences to help keeping Kenya clean.