Kenya marks World Environment Day
The national World Environment Day celebrations were marked last week on Wednesday in pomp and colour at Maseno University grounds.
Dubbed the best WED celebrations so far in terms of organisation and attendance, the event saw tens of food processors in attendance exhibiting various food preservation technologies in line with this year’s theme of Think. Eat. Save. Reduce your food print.
Nema staff members in resplendent green and white T-shirts courtesy of partnership with Safaricom added colour to the event.
The newly appointed Cabinet secretary for Environment, Water and Natural Resources Prof. Judi Wakhungu took the opportunity to assure the county governments that her ministry through consultation, collaboration and partnership in matters pertaining to Environment and Natural Resource Management as enshrined in the Constitution.
Guests at Maseno University Grounds during the World Environment Day. [Above PHOTO: ANTONY MWANGI/NEMA]
In a speech read on her behalf by the Environment Secretary Dr Alice Kaudia, Prof Wakhungu noted World Environment Day is dedicated to appreciating nature and giving back to the environment through actions aimed at enhancing the quality of life and the environment.
It is a day for reminding humanity the importance of the environment and their responsibility towards maintaining its sustainability and quality. Celebrating World Environment Day is about the inspirational power of individual actions for positive change, to guarantee secure, clean and healthy environment for all.
Prof Wakhungu also decried modern consumption patterns, where more emphasis is on the expensive production of ‘fashionable’ food where issues such as size, colour and symmetry of the food rather than its nutritional value have a higher weight compared to environmental concerns. This has continued to adversely compromise our environment.
In his address at the same event, NEMA Director General Prof Geoffrey Wahungu noted that this year’s theme is a campaign that aims to halt the needless loss of food produce in the process of harvesting, packaging transportation and consumption.
Prof Wahungu maintained there is need for the Government to put in place policy measures to reduce food wastage. “This could include policies to improve packaging and reduced portion sizes, recovery of edible losses from processors and retailers and improved integration of food banks within the food system.”
He also noted that investments to improve infrastructure can also bring large gains, in particular to reduce post-harvest losses in food production areas.
Environment Secretary Dr Alice Kaudia delivers the Cabinet Secretary’s speech at Maseno University Grounds during the World Environment Day. In the background is Maseno University VC Prof Dominic Makawiti with NEMA Director General Prof Geoffrey Wahungu. [PHOTO: ANTONY MWANGI/NEMA]
