The Kenyan Government has been asked to formulate an environmental management policy. Mvita MP Najib Balala said yesterday that the Government needed to work closely with key partners, including NGOs and the business community, to develop the policy. Poor planning, he said, had made urban slums inaccessible, making their development difficult. The former National Heritage minister was speaking at Floringi in his constituency when he launched an infrastructure upgrading project.
The project, to cost Sh 6 million, targets sanitation and drainage to curb flooding. It is funded by the UN Environment Programme and Bamburi Cement Company. "A proper policy framework on drainage and air and sea pollution would be instrumental in addressing environmental issues in major towns," he said. The pilot project is to be replicated in other areas in the constituency such as Kaloleni, Mwembe Tanganyika and Sarigoi.
Bamburi special products general manager Tariq Iqbal said his firm was collaborating with the Government to uplift the living standards of marginalised people. "Issues of governance, providing critical social amenities and environmental conservation call for multi-faceted partnerships," he said.