Turkana County has finally acquired the capacity to enforce the overall legislative regime governing environmental functions after 30 of its officers graduated with basic certificates in environmental enforcement.
Water Chief Officer, Moses Natome, said the graduation is a big step towards the creation of an empowered workforce whose duties is to spearhead environmental conservation.
Speaking during the closure of the one-week long training held in Eliye Springs, Natome said that the graduation was yet another milestone in addition to staff who had already been trained by NEMA accredited entities on Environmental Social Impact Assessment (ESIA).
He said the training would aid both Environment and Enforcement officers to be more vigilant on compliance requirements especially in urban areas of Turkana County.
While acknowledging the role of Kenya Devolution Support Program (KDSP) for supporting the capacity building venture under the Key Result Area 4 focusing on Social and Environmental safeguard, the Chief Officer urged the graduands to apply the skills acquired to discharge their mandates more effectively.
County Director for Environment, Clement Nadio, said the training also included team building, drafting of improvement orders and basic physical endurance required when undertaking enforcement work.
In addition to focusing on the provisions of Environmental Management Coordination Act (EMCA), Nadio said that the training touched on legislative regimes on climate smart interventions, waste management, air quality regulation, noise control and conservancy among others.
The Director added that the inclusion of Rangers as part of the trainees was intentionally prioritized for cross sharing of experiences and creation of teams for executing the interlinked functions in the course of duty.
Nadio promised to support the graduands in implementing their newly acquired skills by coordinating with the local NEMA office for provision of technical assistance and continuous exposure to additional training.
By Peter Gitonga
