Kenya is stepping up efforts to tackle pollution, restore damaged ecosystems and strengthen climate action through tougher environmental regulations, improved monitoring systems and the ongoing 15-billion-tree growing programme, Environment Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa has told the Senate.
Appearing before senators on Wednesday, Barasa said the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Climate Change had rolled out a series of measures aimed at improving environmental protection while addressing gaps identified through a nationwide assessment of pollution and environmental health risks.
She said the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), with support from the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility, carried out a nationwide environmental health risk assessment between 2020 and 2025 under the Africa Environmental Health and Pollution Management Programme.
According to the Cabinet Secretary, the assessment identified weaknesses in hazardous waste management, providing the basis for new policies and regulations to improve pollution control, restore degraded environments and strengthen the country's response to climate change.
"The Ministry, through NEMA, undertook a comprehensive, nationally coordinated assessment of environmental health risk. The programme specifically targeted pollution risks associated with e-waste, such as chemicals and unintentional persistent organic pollutants, which are closely linked to heavy metals from burning and industrial contamination pathways," she told senators.
Barasa said the assessment also exposed weaknesses in hazardous waste management, including poor waste collection systems, limited formal recycling facilities and low public awareness on proper waste disposal.
She added that the assessment also revealed inadequate laboratory capacity to analyse air and soil pollution, making it necessary to strengthen monitoring and enforcement efforts across the country.
The findings, she said, informed the gazettement of the Waste Management Regulations 2024, the Extended Producer Responsibility Regulations 2024 and the Framework for the Management of Toxic and Hazardous Substances, which are expected to improve the management of waste and hazardous materials.
On the government's 15-billion-tree growing programme, Barasa said ecosystem restoration efforts had already exceeded those achieved during the previous administration.
She told senators that satellite imagery showed notable progress in restoring degraded ecosystems over the past three years, surpassing what had been achieved during the previous five-year period.
Barasa said the ministry was working closely with the Kenya Forest Service and other government agencies to meet the annual target of planting 1.5 billion trees.
She added that the programme was also being implemented alongside the Forest Conservation and Management Act, which requires trees to be replanted after harvesting to ensure sustainable forest cover.
The Cabinet Secretary also announced that the ministry would dispatch a team to Bungoma County to assess waste management challenges and enforce environmental regulations.
She further revealed plans to restore the Mount Elgon ecosystem through aerial seeding, manual tree planting, fencing and community livelihood programmes such as beekeeping.
On carbon markets, Barasa said the government had introduced new regulations and signed guidelines to improve public awareness and support implementation of carbon trading initiatives.
She also pledged to table a report on pollution in Lake Victoria, adding that resources had already been set aside for the lake's restoration.
In addition, she said funding from the World Bank under the KWASIP project would support conservation activities and improve livelihoods in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) regions.
Barasa also told senators that lithium batteries from electric vehicles had now been classified as hazardous waste under the country's waste management framework.
She said waste pickers would receive Sh20 for every kilogram of lithium batteries collected through the Extended Producer Responsibility framework to encourage proper disposal and recycling.
The Cabinet Secretary reiterated that environmental and social impact assessments remain mandatory before any project begins.
She added that NEMA would continue carrying out joint inspections and enforcement operations with other government agencies and county governments to protect public health and the environment.