Politics is part and parcel of environmental management This calls for integration of political and environmental aspects in environmental management It also calls for proper understanding of legislations and other political aspects in order to ensure effective and sustainable management processes

1. THE INFLUENCE OF POLITICS IN
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
BY
CAXTON GITONGA KAUA
caxtonk2008@yahoo.com
WANAGARI MAATHAI INSTITUTE FOR PEACE
AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

2. Politics
• Activities associated with the governance of a country or other area
• Activities related to influencing actions and policies of a government
• Encompasses conflicts between parties and individuals hoping to
achieve power
• Opinions one has about what a government should do i.e. political
thoughts
• Relationships within a group that allows certain people to govern
• Academic study of government and the state

3. Levels of government in Kenya
Kenya is generally divided into two levels of government
These include the county and the national government
The two levels are interdependent and distinct
The role of national government in environmental management include:
• Use of transboundary resources
• Making national legal and policy frameworks
• Protection of the environment for sustainable development
• Disaster management
The county government roles include:
• Control of pollution and other public nuisances
• Implementation of environmental legislation at county level e.g. soil and water conservation
and forestry
• Coordinating community participation in environmental management
• Coming up with local environmental by laws

4. Role of government in environmental
matters
The government has various roles that it accomplishes through
designated lead agencies
These include:
• Ensure sustainable use and management of the environment and
natural resources
• Ensure equitable distribution of natural resource benefits
• Utilize natural resources for the benefit of Kenyans
• Protect intellectual property rights of indigenous communities
biodiversity and genetic resources
• Encourage public participation in environmental management

5. Role of government in environmental
matters cont’d
• Protection of environment and natural resources
• Establish a system of EIA, EA and environmental monitoring
• Formulation of environmental legal and policy frameworks
• Develop institutional frameworks for environmental management
• Compliance and enforcement
• Funding of environmental management initiatives
• Implementation of international agreements the government is party
to

6. Political vested interests in environmental
matters
• Leads to subjectivity i.e. decisions are biased to the interests of a few
• Decisions made not for environmental integrity but for political ends e.g. to
please ones political constituency or pay political debts
• Influences environmental legislations which can either be positive as in the
case of Greens or negative
• Leads to corruption in environmental management e.g. hiring of personnel
or distribution of resources based on affiliations
• Lack of political will can lead to low support of environmental management
e.g. low budgetary allocations
• Marginalization of parties having little political clout e.g. the minority
groups
• Lead to conflicts in resource as environment is used as the playground for
political contests and feuds
• Has implications on environmental legislations
• Implications on enforcement and compliance

7. Case studies of some environmental
policies
EMCA 1999 (Amended 2015)
• Is the overall framework for environmental management in Kenya
• Aims at achieving legal and administrative coordination in environmental
management
• Entitles every person in Kenya with the right to a healthy and clean environment
• Provides powers of standing to anyone whose right to a clean and healthy
environment is contravened
• Provides incentives to encourage sound environmental management
• Provides for EIA, EA and monitoring of development projects to avoid negative
impacts on environment
• Provides for strategic environmental assessment of plans, programs and policies
• Provides for environmental quality standards and their enforcement
• Provides for the protection of traditional interest of communities settled in an area

8. EMCA Cont’d
• Establishes NEMA as the apex body for environmental management in Kenya
• Provides for county environmental committees for overseeing environmental
management at the local levels
• Establishes the national environmental council for policy formulation and setting
directions under the act
• Formation of the public complaints committee to investigate public complaints
• Establishes the national environmental action planning committee to develop five
year environmental management plans
• Establishes the national environmental trust fund to support environmental
management e.g. in research, awards, capacity building, scholarship grants etc.
• Provides for the national environmental restoration fund to support mitigation of
environmental degradation where the perpetrator is unknown and where NEMAs
intervention is needed

9. The constitution
• Chapter four under the rights and freedoms in article 42 provides for
the right to a clean and healthy environment
• Chapter five, article 69 provides for the role of the government in
environmental management
• Article 62 directs the parliament to establish courts with high court
status to address environmental issues i.e. the land and environment
court

10. The forest conservation and management
bill, 2014
• Provides for the sustainable management of all forests in Kenya
• Provides for the formation of KFS to manage forests in Kenya
• Has provision for community participation in forest management
• In this way it provides for formation of community forest associations
• Provides incentives and support to increase forest cover in Kenya
• Sets the stage for enforcement and compliance with its requirements
• This is by description of offences in the sector and stipulation of penalties

11. The wildlife conservation and management act, 2013
• Provides for the sustainable management of wildlife in Kenya
• Provides for the formulation of five year strategic plans for the management of the
wildlife sector in Kenya
• Provides for formation of the KWS to manage Kenyas wildlife resources
• It provides for the establishment of county conservation and compensation
committees
• Provides for the formation of a wildlife endowment fund for wildlife management
incentives, protection, research and training
• Provides for establishment of the Kenya wildlife service research and training
institute
• Provides for management of human wildlife conflicts
• Provides for wildlife conservation orders, easements and incentives
• Provides for enforcement and compliance by defining offences and setting of
penalties under the act

12. The water bill, 2014
• Provides for the regulation, management and development of water
resources and sewerage services
• Vests water resources to the national government in the interest of
Kenyans
• Bestows on every Kenyan the right to clean and safe water and in adequate
amounts
• Establishes the water regulation authority to regulate use and
management of water resources
• Establishes the water sector trust fund to support water development and
management
• Establishes the water disputes tribunal to hear and determine appeals
under the water sector

13. Political movements affecting
environmental management
These encompass the environmental movements and green political
parties
Environmental movements are those that address environmental issues
e.g. The Greenbelt movement and Green peace movement
Environmental movements may be scientific, political or social in
nature
Green parties are those that uphold principles and values of green
politics
Green politics is a political ideology that aims to create an ecologically
sustainable society

14. The Greenbelt Movement
Started in 1977 by Prof. Wangari Maathai
Based on influence of the environmental movement observations in
the West
In response to the problems women encountered due to
environmental degradation, disempowerment and erosion of
traditional values in Kenya
Uses an inclusive community based approach to empower
communities and improve their livelihoods
Activities include tree planting, climate change, advocacy
Also gender and livelihoods, community education and empowerment

15. Greenbelt Movement achievements
Achievement of the Greenbelt movement include:
• Creation of environmental awareness in Kenyas’ communities
• Fostering inclusiveness in environmental decision making
• Review of environmental policy to ensure they address community
needs and recognize them e.g. the forest act
• Protection of vital ecosystems in Kenya e.g. Karura Forest and green
spaces e.g. Uhuru park and Jevanjee Gardens in Nairobi
• Has inspired growth of the environmental movement in Kenya
• Improvement of community livelihoods and women empowerment
• Revitalization of traditional values for environmental management

16. Green peace Movement
Started in 1971 by Canadian green activists including Dorothy and
David Stowe
Activities in over 40 countries with HQ in Amsterdam, Holland
Has principle not to accept government funding
Funded by over 2.9 million well wishers and funding grants
Its approaches include direct action, lobbying and research
Has received criticism due to its activities that have some times lead to
legal action against its members
Focusses on worldwide environmental issues including climate change,
deforestation, overfishing, nuclear issues and genetic engineering

17. Green peace achievements
These include:
• Initiated the INGO accountability charter
• Has raised environmental issues to public knowledge globally
• Has catalyzed an energy revolution towards clean energy in response to issues
such as climate change
• Defending of the oceans from poor exploitation practices e.g. overfishing
• Protection of worlds indigenous forests that are important habitats for biodiversity
• Working for disarmament and peace especially in regard to nuclear weapons
• Campaigned for reduced dependence on finite resources
• Campaigned for socially and ecologically responsible sustainable agriculture
• Creation of a toxin free future with promotion of alternative nonhazardous
chemicals

18. Green political parties of Europe
Started taking shape in the 1970s
Exist in nearly 90% of world countries
Their platform embraces social democratic economic policies
In Europe the parties formed the European green party in 2004 to act
as their federation
Are members of the global greens an international network of green
parties formed in 2001
They work to implement the Global green charter
This is based on principles of social justice, sustainability, non violence,
participatory democracy and ecological wisdom
Its important to note that even other parties e.g. in Britain are
espousing green principles

19. Examples of Europe's Green political
parties
Examples of Green political parties in Europe include:
• The Green party of Albania
• The German social democrats
• The greens in France
• Italys’ federation of greens
• Norways’ green party
• The Danish socialist peoples party
• The green parties of England and Wales, Scotland and North Ireland
• Greeces’ Ecologist greens
• The Union of greens of Russia
• The polish greens etc.

20. Conclusion
Politics is part and parcel of environmental management
This calls for integration of political and environmental aspects in
environmental management
It also calls for proper understanding of legislations and other political
aspects in order to ensure effective and sustainable management
processes