The National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) in collaboration with other stakeholders in Eldoret Town has carried out series of build-up activities towards this year’s World Wetlands Day, which will be hosted at Lake Narasha, also known as Timboroa Dam, Uasin Gishu county.
World Wetlands Day is celebrated on February 2 annually to raise awareness about wetlands.
Led by NEMA County Director of Environment (CDE), Solomon Kihiu, the team which comprised of other stakeholders including Red Cross, County Government, Ministry of Interior, Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC), Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) and others, they conducted a clean-up exercise along Sosiani River, which passes through the heart of Eldoret town.
Additionally, the team launched a Bamboo Demo site, along the river at Mangula area.
Speaking during the event, the CDE pointed out that they conducted the clean-up exercise and planted approximately 2000 bamboo seedlings at the site, as a move to clean and restore river Sosiani into its original state and at the same time educate the members of the public on benefits of the wetlands to their livelihoods, and therefore take a responsibility to conserve and protect them.
“The River is polluted and we are doing our best through this exercise to restore the river by removing deposited waste in and along the river banks,” he noted.
The Environmental Authority, together with partners had carried out clean-up series activities ahead of the global event, whose national climax was held in Uasin Gishu last Monday, where they conducted a clean-up exercise along the streets of Kamukunji Estate, Eldoret.
On Tuesday, the team carried out sensitization for school principals and students on wetlands conservation and is set to hold sports competitions on wetlands conservation.
By Daniel Kibet and Ekuwam Sylvester
