Ministry of Environment launches 2023-2027 Strategic Plan

Nairobi

Friday July 28, 2023

KNA by Peace Muthoka/Rebeccah Maria

The Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry has launched its 2023-2027 strategic plan aligned to the Government's Transformation Agenda that prioritizes the opening of value chains of wealth and employment creation.

The key priorities in the plan include ecosystem restoration through the 15 billion national tree growing programme that seeks to raise Kenya’s tree cover to 30 percent by 2032, sustainable waste management, and climate action through sustainable mitigation, resilience and adaptation interventions.

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi said that the strategic planning is a Results-Based Management Tool which the public service would use to account for its existence. 

“Gone are the days when our only delivery accounting tool was to report to work and leave at your own pleasure. Today, as long as you remain in the public service, make strategic plans, service delivery standards, citizen service delivery charters, annual work plans, performance contracts and staff performance appraisal part of your second nature,” he said.

Speaking on Thursday during the launch of the strategic plan Mudavadi said that the 15 billion National Tree Cover Campaign would directly contribute to job creation if youth and women groups grow and sell seedlings for the greening campaign; and in the long-term, provide nutrition and timber products. 

“I also look forward to your unpacking the Circular Economy under the strategic plan. I trust that it will help us create jobs during the reduction, reuse and recycling of waste, apart from providing a clean and healthy environment as anticipated by the Constitution,” he said.

He reiterated that Kenya would soon host the African climate summit and he was aware of the crucial policy and legal proposals intended for the ongoing Government Legislative Agenda Roundtables.

Concurrently, the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Cabinet Secretary (CS) Soipan Tuya said that the Environment and Natural resource sector faces vast and complex challenges and climate change continues to wreak havoc on communities and ecosystems around the globe. 

“Biodiversity loss, deforestation, pollution, and resource depletion further exacerbate these challenges and we are taking the lead to ensure that in Kenya, we are rising together to deal with these challenges,” Tuya said.

She added that the Ministry would leverage on the emerging issues such as big data, carbon markets and artificial intelligence to ensure that the vision of a clean, safe, healthy, sustainably managed, resilient environment and natural resources is achieved.

“The Strategic Plan we are launching today is based on the Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Governance and Coordination; Conservation, Protection, Restoration and Management of Environment and Forest Ecosystems; Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation; Agroforestry and Commercial Forestry Development; and finally, Resource Mobilization and Partnerships that will provide a roadmap for our endeavors,” Tuya said.

She highlighted that the Strategic Plan recognizes the importance of integrating environmental considerations into all sectors of our society and economy and underscores the urgency of empowering communities, building capacity, and promoting sustainable practices. 

She pointed out that the Strategic Plan would need some key legal and policy frameworks to give it life and the ministry would review the Environmental Management and Coordination Act which is the backbone legislation of the environment related policies and strategies, the Forest Conservation and Management Act of 2016.

“The Forest Policy is due for Cabinet anytime now and we have concluded the process of amending the Climate Change Act to provide for Carbon Market regulation and we are developing a Circular Economy strategy as well as an Ecosystem Restoration strategy to guide how we deal with our degraded landscapes and wetlands that will provide the important levers to facilitate the smooth operation of the Ministry in order to deliver on our promises to the people,” Tuya disclosed.

At the same time, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Principal Secretary (PS) Gitonga Mugambi said that they were taking measures to improve the management of the forests by working with communities who are offering a lot of support on the management of the forests and encouraged the fencing of the forests

Courtesy ; K. N. A