Trans Nzoia District Environment Action Plan 2009- 2013 Trans Nzoia District Environment Action Plan 2009-2013 Executive Summary
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REPUBLIC OF KENYA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND MINERAL RESOURCES TRANS NZOIA DISTRICT ENVIRONMENT ACTION PLAN 2009- 2013 TRANS NZOIA DISTRICT ENVIRONMENT ACTION PLAN 2009-2013 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Environment Management Coordination Act 1999 provides for the formulation of the District Environment Action Plans every five years. This is the first District Environment Action Plan (DEAP) for Trans Nzoia District. The drafting of the DEAP was undertaken through a participatory process both in the public, private and civil sectors. Further, this document has incorporated salient issues from the Divisions. The DEAP highlights priority themes and activities for the District towards achieving sustainable development. The report is divided into eight chapters. Chapter one gives the challenges of sustainable development and also describes the rationale for and preparatory process of the DEAP. This Chapter presents the district’s profile covering the physical features, demographic, agro-ecological zones, and population. Chapter two describes the District’s Environment and Natural resources of Land, Water, Biodiversity, wetlands and agriculture, livestock and fisheries. For each resource, major environmental issues, challenges and proposed interventions are identified. Chapter three gives details on human settlements and infrastructure in Trans Nzoia District covering situation analysis, challenges and proposed interventions. Environmental challenges addressed include; waste management, sanitation, pollution, diseases, land use, demand for water, energy, materials for construction, land and wetlands degradation, policy and legislation, biodiversity loss and land tenure. Chapter four addresses environmental aspects in trade, industry and services sectors. The key issues under this chapter are high pollution levels from industrial activities and weak enforcement of relevant legislations. Chapter five discusses environmental hazards and disasters. The major hazards covered include; drought and famine and lightening human and livestock diseases, and invasive species. Environmental information, networking and technology are discussed in chapter six. It emerges that environmental information and networking technology have continued to receive inadequate attention. In order to achieve sustainable environmental management, it is necessary to focus on raising awareness and enhancing public participation at all levels. Governance, Policy and Legal Framework as well as Institutional arrangements are set in chapter Seven. The key issues addressed include; harmonization of environmental legislations and institutional mandates, incorporation of indigenous knowledge in ii environmental management. Chapter eight describes the implementation matrix for the district. iii FOREWORD Environmental protection and management play a significant role in ensuring a health environment for all. It is against this background that any activities to be undertaken in the district should incorporate environmental considerations during planning and its subsequent implementation. In the recent past it has been very challenging to coordinate activities that have direct or indirect impact to the environment. As a result of this the environment has been the biggest looser in line with the principals of environmental conservation and preservation. In response to this, the Environmental Management and Coordination Act (EMCA, 1999) was enacted which requires each one of us to safeguard and enhance the environment. The Act provides for the preparation of the District Environment Action Plan every five years as provided for by the District Environment Committee. This action plan forms part of the building blocks to the Provincial and National Environment Action Plans respectively. This Action Plan was meant to be applied in the entire larger Trans Nzoia district, however at the time its preparation was coming to conclusion, the district was split into three i.e. Trans Nzoia West, Trans Nzoia East and Kwanza districts. Therefore for it to achieve its intended purpose, it will be applied as a whole with issues unique to respective districts being implemented. The Action Plan sets out responsibilities for all the stakeholders for the period 2006- 2011 to ensure achievement of positive outcomes for our environment. The various stakeholders commit themselves and set targets in their respective sectors on issues that are in line with environmental conservation and protection. The Plan builds on the commitments set out in Environmental Management and Coordination Act (EMCA) of 1999, Economic Recovery Strategy and Wealth Creation, District Development Plan, Agenda 21, Johannesburg plan of action and the Millennium Development Goals. Dr Ayub Macharia(PhD), DIRECTOR GENERAL (Ag), NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY (NEMA) iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The District Environment Action Plan for Trans Nzoia is a product of the efforts of a large, cohesive and spirited team. I am grateful to everyone who has, in one way or another, contributed to the preparation of this Environment Action Plan. I appreciate the staff of NEMA and the tireless effort of the members of the department of EE, I & PP for their time and input that led to a successful completion of this plan. I also note with appreciation the coordination role played by the department of Environmental Planning and Research during the preparation of this action plan. I further thank the IUCN through the MERECP for its financial support towards the finalisation of this plan. I also acknowledge the contributions made by stakeholders, lead agencies, private sector, nongovernmental organizations and the donor community. I appreciate the NEMA management whose input has shaped the quality of this plan and reflect the vision and mission of the Authority. It is my hope that this plan will provide the most needed direction in our actions towards addressing the environmental challenges that affect our district through enhanced partnership with stakeholders to bring about environmental sustainability. Dr. Kennedy I. Ondimu DIRECTOR, ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING AND RESEARCH CO-ORDINATION DEPARTMENT v TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY--------------------------------------------------------------------- ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT---------------------------------------------------------------------v TABLE OF CONTENTS --------------------------------------------------------------------vi LIST OF TABLES---------------------------------------------------------------------------- viii LIST OF FIGURES----------------------------------------------------------------------------ix PLATES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ix ACRONYMS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ x CHAPTER ONE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 1.1 Preamble----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 1.2 EMCA, 1999 Provision on Environmental Planning ----------------------------- 2 1.4 Objectives of District Environment Action Plans--------------------------------- 2 1.5 District Profile---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 1.5.1 Geographical Location, Size and Administrative Units ----------------------- 3 1.5.2 Climate and Physical Features ----------------------------------------------------- 7 1.5.3 Population Size and Distribution ------------------------------------------------- 11 CHAPTER TWO ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 22 2.1 Soils---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22 2.2 Drylands---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26 2.3 Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries ----------------------------------------------- 29 2.3.2 Livestock------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 31 2.3.3 Fisheries Resources------------------------------------------------------------------ 33 2.4 Water Resources------------------------------------------------------------------------ 35 2.5 Forestry and Wildlife Resources----------------------------------------------------- 38 2.6 Wildlife ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 43 2.7 Biodiversity Conservation --------------------------------------------------------------- 45 CHAPTER THREE -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 49 3.1 Human Settlement and Planning-------------------------------------------------- 49 3.2 Impact of human settlement and infrastructure to the environment -------- 52 3.3 Human and Environmental Health ------------------------------------------------ 53 3.4 Pollution and waste Generated from Human Settlement ---------------------- 55 3.5 Communication Network ------------------------------------------------------------ 59 3.6 Socio-Economic Services and Infrastructure ------------------------------------- 59 3.7 Energy Sector --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 62 CHAPTER FOUR ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 68 4.1 Industrial Sector ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 68 4.2 Trade Sector ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 69 vi 4.3 Service Sector----------------------------------------------------------------------------