Globally, politicians have dominated the public policy on conservation issues. It is a sad reality that Kenya politicians are involved in passing dangerous conservation policies that affect the environment and in the end, the people, especially the common mwananchi. For instance, in Nairobi County, the Dandora Dump Site has been and is been mismanaged. Those who suffer most are the residents who live within and around the waste disposal area. Air pollution and water pollution is widespread. The residents end up getting respiratory-related infections, waterborne diseases and ultimately cancer due to the effect of waste disposal of electronics and toxic chemicals being released. In most scenarios, lives are lost as treatment is expensive or the infection was diagnosed late.

“Environmental conservation remains an ‘assemblage of contradictory relationship between the powerful and those not in power’ also known as ‘the politicians’ or ‘cartels’. This inclines to define nature and the right to use various resources in very different culturally dependent ways. However, modern conservation practice is on the heels of the political and economic globalisation that is influenced by the industrial revolution. This is a harsh reality.”

See more: Why we should not sideline the politics that castigates conservation.

Environmental conservation does not only mean protecting the biodiversity of the world.

Dear Politician, as you seek my vote, keep in mind that man owes the natural world a moral obligation of protecting it. Environmental conservation should be your number one agenda in order for you to get my vote as a conservationist. Therefore conserving the environment, preventing soil erosion, desertification and flooding should be on your agenda.

In light of this, unsustainable farming practices have been observed in the country. This practice not only impacts the natural ecosystems but ultimately makes farming itself impossible. Kenyans have faced the harshness of drought where people are dying of hunger. Unga ya ugali (Maize meal. The staple food of the country) has become extremely expensive for the common mwananchi. ‘Ati siku hizi unga ya ugali imekua ya wadosi, chapati ya masikini’ (These days, maize flour has become for the rich while wheat flour for the poor). This is as a result of mismanagement of resources and arable fertile lands such as deforestation in the MAU forest and Kakamega Forest among many other water towers in the country.

See More: Prospects of Sustainable Agriculture the Youth can Engage in

Environmental pollution, species extinction and global climate change are all in part results of human mismanagement of the Earth’s resources.  In Kenya, the need for development without considering future environmental implications is overtaking conservation efforts thus experiences of harsh realities like droughts and flooding.

In some parts of the country, the major effect of drought has been characterised by violence between communities. Laikipia county has been hard it with violence which has led to the loss of human lives affecting women, children and the elderly. The area has had a massive loss of wildlife too. This has been as a result of Human-Wildlife Conflict and to some extent, political instigations and propaganda as pastoralists are fighting for ‘limited’ resources. Occupations have also been lost because of the shutdown of conservancies and burning of some lodges by said pastoralists

The recent onset of rains has resulted in floods in the coastal region of Kenya, specifically, Kilifi County. This is because of environmental degradation caused by cutting down mangroves which are good barriers against floods in coastal regions. Houses, bridges and roads have been destroyed, not forgetting to mention the loss of life. Floods also bring about collateral damage in the form of waterborne diseases such as typhoid and cholera leading to more losses of life.

Dear politician, kindly prioritise environmental conservation in your agenda because the earth is our home and it is where both you and I live. So, we better take care of it, love nature and protect nature because nature is unforgiving.

‘Mother nature is very generous but very unforgiving.’ – Prof. Wangari Maathai

Written by Risper Asembo.

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