- The clean-up is a culmination of a week-long training workshop of 50 women from Tudor on Sustainable Waste Management, Entrepreneurship, Business Skills and Financial Literacy; conducted by SIB-K.
- The implementation of segregation of plastics at source at Nyayo Estaste started in May 2020; with residents reporting a cleaner and safer environment since inception.
The Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) Foundation, through Sustainable Inclusive Business (SIB-K), in collaboration with Mombasa County Government today conducted a clean-up exercise in Tudor Ward, aimed at creating awareness on separation of waste at source for proper waste management from the household level. The exercise brought together various stakeholders from the community, the county government and the private sector.
“This initiative will be geared ‘towards achieving a Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment Conservation, by reducing the amount of waste especially plastics disposed in to the landfills and the ocean. For this reason, we are engaging community members to help them adopt practices around segregation of waste at source” noted Ms. Josephine Wawira, the Communications Officer at Sustainable Inclusive Business – KEPSA.
She added that, “To achieve a circular economy, we have to look at the bigger picture. These efforts are geared towards attaining environmental sustainability, enable cleaner and healthier living conditions for community members, material recovery and creation of descent jobs by offering training and mentorship on the waste to value concept.”
Implementation of segregation of waste at source in Tudor Estate, will go a long way towards closing the loop to spur a circular economy and environmental sustainability in Mombasa County.
Through partnerships and collaborations with implementing partners, the county government of Mombasa and local authorities, KESPA, through SIB-K, is committed to engage citizens and create awareness at the household level, which is key in mindset change and approach from the linear model.
The clean-up is a culmination of a week-long training workshop of 50 women from Tudor on Sustainable Waste Management, Entrepreneurship, Business Skills and Financial Literacy; conducted by SIB-K. The training took place from 12th to 16th July; after which the participants have been awarded with certificates of completion. It is part of the second phase of the Creating Opportunities and Alleviating Poverty Through Sustainable Trade II (COAST II Project); a 6-months long initiative supported by the French Embassy in Kenya.
“After undergoing the training, we are no longer seeing waste as waste but as value that can benefit us and the entire community. We will forever be grateful to KEPSA for the enlightenment and that’s why we’re also participating in this clean up to spread the word to the rest of our neighbours,” said Anne Otum, workshop participant.
To improve the management of waste, the project will support the county government in developing a model that integrates the community, the public sector as well as the private sector in bringing in innovations that reduce the risk of water borne diseases during rainy seasons; and the disposal of plastics that eventually leak into the ocean.
According to area Chief Mr. Tsuma Kombo Mangale, “the county government will continue working closely with KEPSA and implementing partners to help the project achieve its set objectives, to deliver on Kenya’s constitutional right to a clean and healthy environment for all.”
His sentiments were supported by Mombasa County Youth Representative Hon. Moses Aran (CVilizer), saying that “we welcome initiatives that empower our youth and provide sustainable solutions to the challenges that continue to face the young people; such as unemployment. Creating green jobs and wealth from the waste sector for residents of Mombasa, and accelerating Kenya’s SDGs is top of our priorities”.
KEPSA is implementing a similar initiative in Embakasi Nyayo Estate in Nairobi, in partnership with New Plastics Economy Kenya, under the Partnering for Green Growth and Global Goals (P4G) partnership, in collaboration with PETCO. The implementation of segregation of plastics at source at Nyayo Estaste started in May 2020; with residents reporting a cleaner and safer environment since inception.
Sustainable Inclusive Business commits to continue engaging communities and youth groups in low-income areas, with the support of partners from across the value chain to create linkages with the public and private sectors with a view to adopt circular innovations.
