from: otieno sungu
Yesterday, the 3rd Governance, Leadership and Management Forum set off deliberations of among other things, the impact of Public Private Partnership in job creation, the correlation between economic growth and living conditions, the sustainability of economic growth trends in African economies, and the economic fragility of African economies.
This is the 3rd such forums, the first having been in 2010. This initiative by The Kenya Institute of Management is a great forum to deliberate how Africa can pull out of the poverty mess it is in, with focus on areas such as the role of enterprise in wealth and job creation in Africa, tapping into the untapped areas of enterprise to ensure sustainable growth, value chain of green business opportunities and the role of financial institutions in economic development can only be defined as such an opportune moment especially with the current unemployment and poverty levels in most African states.
Kenya turns 50 years next year, while our founding fathers identified poverty, ignorance and disease as the most serious afflictions for our people, we will have very little to celebrate with regard to the achievement of the same as we turn 50.
This however, should not mean we ought to resign ourselves to this state of affairs. During the forum, unemployment was identified as one challenge which comes with a myriad others. Negative effects such as insecurity, be it crime, food or the whole sphere of social, economic and political insecurity are functions of unemployment.
This is the time to take stock and review our priorities as a nation but more so, ask ourselves what we can, as individuals and collectively do towards achieving the targets we set as a nation towards alleviating some of these challenges.
If we should sit back and watch as things take a dark turn, we can only be consigning our children to a bleak future. The government has set a target for a better future for those of us who will live long enough to see that dawn. Vision 2030 is only 18 years away. It may seem far off but look how fast 50 years have arrived finding us far off the mark from alleviating poverty, disease and ignorance.
In this endeavor, The Clean Kenya Campaign-TCKC set out to work with government Ministries and Departments, the private sector and learning institutions to tackle one area towards attaining Vision 2030.
Our constitution guarantees every Kenyan a right to clean environments at Chapter 4 Article 42 which states as follows; “Every person has a right to a clean and healthy environment” and encourages all of us to take an active role in ensuring the same at Chapter 5 Article 69 (1); The State shall; (d) “encourage public participation in the management, protection and conservation of the environment.”
In view of this, The Clean Kenya Campaign-TCKC and key partners have been organizing awareness and cleanup campaigns across our towns, cities, neighborhoods and markets. We have also taken a deliberate step towards engaging both public and private sector to play active role beyond awareness into better waste management practices that creates both opportunities and wealth.
We are driving a campaign to ensure better waste management through Separation of Waste at Source as a sustainable management process which creates both opportunities and wealth in line with Vision 2030’s economic and social pillars, incidentally, some of the issues the 3rd Governance, Leadership and Management Forum is grappling with.
On the 11th July 2012 at The Charter Hall, we held the 1st Consultative Forum towards separation of waste whose theme was-Complementing Environmental Awareness with Practical Solutions.
Yesterday, one of our team members, Mr. Odhiambo T. Oketch was in Kisumu for a planning meeting with His Worship The Mayor of Kisumu, His Town Clerk and their teams towards strengthening and consolidating efforts to make our cities and towns clean.
On the 28th August, 2012, we will hold the 2nd Consultative forum at the KICC whose theme is-Practical Steps Towards Separation of Waste at Source.
Our aim is simple; we want to move from theories and boardrooms with this issue to practically achieving it. In order to do so, we have selected 5 key towns for piloting this process; Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret and Nyeri. We have tasked ourselves and partners with deliverables that should ensure this become a reality.
In this regard, we are happy to announce that key partners have already taken up various components of the implementation process. We continue to reach out to many others and are in discussions this week with various private sector and corporate entities that have shown a clear interest in cleaner towns and cities.
Cleaner towns and cities are a sure capital, investment and tourist destinations. As we continue to consolidate the gains and make further steps, together with our key partners, we hope to deliver much cleaner towns and cities as Kenya turns 50 years on June 1st 2013.
Timely, quality and satisfactory service delivery is a crucial cog for achievement of such endeavors. Together with key partners, The Public Service Transformation Department- PSTD at the Office of The Prime Minister –OPM, National Environment Management Authority- NEMA, Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Environment, we look forward to ascertaining that service delivery informs our engagements for cleaner towns and cities but more so, that eventually, this becomes hinged on the criteria for adjudging a town or city clean.
Best,
Otieno Sungu.
The Clean Kenya Campaign-TCKC.
0729294743.
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