Government officers from Nyamira County have been sensitised on the importance of proper e-waste management because it has become an environmental hazard that accelerates the effects of climate change, courtesy of the ICT Authority Department.
Mr. Kepha Githinji, an officer from ICTA, revealed that Kenya accumulates an approximate 51,300 metric tonnes of e-waste annually, with just 5% reported to be formally recycled and the rest being disposed- of unsafely, endangering human life due to polluted environments, soil degradation, and resource wastage because it has not been utilised for profitable reuse.
“E-waste growth has been necessitated by various factors, some of which include population growth that highly depends on electronic gadgets in their day-to-day lives, changes in lifestyle and status of people, rapid urbanisation and technological advancement, a short life span of electronic gadgets, and few repair options for electronic products, accelerating their end of usefulness.” Enumerated Githinji.
He added that electronic devices or gadgets destined for the end of their useful lives, reuse, recycling, and disposal are all considered e-waste that is unsafely disposed of in homes, offices, stores, dumping sites, or buried.
“Unsafe disposal of e-waste is a serious threat to our environment and has been identified as accelerating climate change. Decomposing e-waste contains lead and mercury metals that leach into the soil, endangering the natural minerals in it. Burning it emits toxic smoke, which is hazardous to human beings when they inhale it and causes acidic rain, whose runoff water drains to water sources, consequently endangering aquatic life.” The ICTA officer explained.
The Environment and Land Judge at Nyamira High Court, Justice Kamau Mugo, warned against conspiracy by unscrupulous ICTA officers or government officers to damage or resell electronic gadgets that are still of good use and instead suggested to the ICTA to establish e-waste collection centres in counties to curb the looming menace that is detrimental to the entire environment and its inhabitants.
Nyanza regional director for National Environment and Management Authority (NEMA), Stella Kamwasir said the sensitization by ICTA on e-waste management and disposal was very educative and timely because e-waste is a real threat to the environment and junks of electronics whose life span has expired have allowed emergence of the informal e-waste sector like the scrape industry which is endangering other infrastructure in the country which is not necessary electronic.
Orpher Nyaigoti from ICTA observed that though Kenya is still facing challenges in management of e-waste like ignorance on safe disposal mechanisms, inadequate infrastructure, and emergence of the informal e-waste sector, their department has come up with strategies to ensure Kenyans are adequately sensitized on proper e-waste management and disposal and are working in collaboration with partners of good will to assist in establishment of standard infrastructure to manage e-waste in our country.
“Now that you are informed and aware of the importance of proper e-waste management, you therefore need to be purposeful in adhering to policy and recommendations on proper e-waste management and disposal to secure and sustain a green and safe environment for all and cushion against the brunt of harmful pollutants and climate change.” Nyaigoti appealed.
By Deborah Bochere
