Kenya mulls cooperation with China to manage waste

NAIROBI, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Kenya is set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in January 2018 with China in a bid to improve its waste management practices.

Geoffrey Wahungu, the Director General of the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), told Xinhua in Nairobi that a technical team from his organization has been sent to China to hold discussions with their Chinese counterparts on the modalities of the agreement.

"The aim of the MOU will be for China to provide Kenya with technical assistance and technology exchange in global best practice in waste management," Wahungu said on the sidelines of United Nations Science Policy Business Forum on the Environment.

Wahungu said that Kenya plans to pilot modern waste management in three counties that have developed a waste management implementation action plan.

"If successful, the model will be rolled out nationwide to all counties in order to help the country to manage waste in an environmentally sustainable way," he added.

Wahungu said that Kenya is also looking for a Chinese investor to set up a plant that will convert industrial waste into energy.

The director general noted that Kenya is facing a problem in dealing with its medical waste due to lack of basic capacity in setting up a modern incineration facility.

He noted that China is well advanced in handling waste given its industrialized status.

He added that Kenya is keen to tap into the Asian nation's expertise in order to deal with its waste management problem. Enditem