Residents of Turkana County will soon be taking part in a public participation exercise geared towards transforming the draft climate change Bill of 2020 before its presentation to the County assembly, Water, Mineral Resources and Environment County Executive Chris Aletia has said.
“Climate change has adversely affected Turkana and the entire nation of Kenya through erratic rainfall patterns, increase in temperature, unexplained floods and drought much more than ever before hence the need for such a bill to harmonize integration interventions,” he said.
CEC Aletia was speaking on Thursday during the one-day stakeholders meeting aimed at validating the draft policy framework document at a hotel in Lodwar.
He stated that absence of the climate change policy framework puts Turkana at a disadvantaged position considering that its requirement for accessing and utilising several funds aimed at providing lasting solutions to the environment change.
According to Prof Bernard Muok the climate change consultant for Turkana, climate change is not only an international concern but also a local problem that requires indigenous solutions and immediate input by players in all sectors of human life.
Prof. Muok added that pastoralist communities have been shown to be the most affected by the problem. Muok pointed out that climate change was in a large way associated with depletion of pasture, water resources and a major cause of conflict between neighbouring communities with shared pasture resources.
On his part, Mr Ekai Nabenyo who was representing a youth led organization whose focus was on climate change advocacy called on the youth to consider using their knowledge and opportunities to enhance sensitization of communities on matters climate change.
Mr Nabenyo expressed confidence that the final draft to be submitted to the locals for public participation will have included all their concerns as young people. Mr. Nabenyo went on to urge the youth to emulate the courage of their counterparts in Europe and America who are on the frontline in the war to mitigate against the adverse impacts of climate change.
County Director for Environment Clement Nadio said that his department has been working with all the state and non- state actors to ensure compliance of projects to the requirements of environment.
Director Nadio added that environment officers had been deployed to all corners of the county to ensure continuous compliance is observed at all times.
By Peter Gitonga
