Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has been lauded for his beautification project of the capital city, Nairobi.
Speaking at the sustainable Blue Economy Conference at KICC that entered its second day, UN-Habitat Executive Director Maimunah Mohd Sharif also welcomed the ongoing beautification exercise by the Sonko-led administration.
Mr Mohd said the county government has set a great example on how to manage the environment.
Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa on his part also hailed the Sonko administration’s beautification exercise.
“I want to thank Governor Sonko for making Nairobi City more beautiful than it has ever been,” said Wamalwa.
The county boss while addressing the conference challenged conservationists to save Lake Victoria from the hyacinth weed that has choked the fresh water lake.
Sonko has said the floating weed which has so far covered 360 hectares of the lake has hampered the movement of people and fishing within Lake Victoria.
He challenged leaders and environmentalists to find a solution to the hyacinth weed menace that has hindered the growth of the Blue Economy within Lake Victoria, the second largest fresh water lake in the world.
“It’s not okay that all the environmental experts are unable to find a solution to this menace. We should make a resolution in this conference that we will not allow factors to negatively affect the Blue Economy without concerted effort to address them. We need to find a way to permanently remove this weed. We owe it to our people,” said Sonko.
Lake Victoria borders Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, with the Kenyan side being the most affected by this hyacinth weed.
Sonko has also called for an end on pollution of the oceans, lakes and rivers, terming it a danger to all mankind.
The county boss also hailed the recent ban on the use of plastic bags by the government saying the decision has drastically reduced the amount of plastics ending up in water bodies.
“We must conserve our environment. Ocean, lakes and rivers pollution poses a danger to all mankind. Kenya recently banned the use of plastic bags, most of which ended up in dumpsites and into the water system,” he added.
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Sonko also noted that the water bodies, should they be used accordingly can “end hunger, provide livelihoods and improve our standards of living.”
In the meantime, he has vowed to intensify a campaign to clean up the Nairobi River ecosystem.
“In the last four months, we have removed hundreds of tons of waste from our rivers, and are now conducting a campaign to sustain the momentum,” he said.
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