James Wakibia –In The Streets of Nakuru
2015 was a great year – in fact, one of my best. My #IsupportBanPlasticsKe campaign, one I am
so passionate about, did so well, so
many supported it, and has reached so many people. I cannot but thank all those who made it
happen.
The history of my campaign can be traced back to 2013, when
I was still at the university doing my undergraduate degree. There, I penned several opinion articles
related to solid waste management at Nakuru’s
biggest dumpsite. I still have
newspaper cuttings of my published letters to the editor. In the same year, my classmates and I arranged
a small protest calling for the relocation of Gioto Dumpsite, my first ever
protest in Nakuru. I felt the rush as
we shouted in the streets of Nakuru,
calling for Gioto Dumpsite to be closed.
Those were the good days when the county government was still green, but
they didn’t know what they could do with a petition from the public, so our
protest fell on deaf ears that year.
But our mission did not die, and I have learned a lot. With time, I narrowed down my campaign to
plastic bags mainly, because they are the primary source of waste in my town
and other towns. According to a report
By Nairobi City County, 70% of all solid
waste is plastic bags. A report by Daily Nation said that a staggering 20
tonnes of plastic waste is collected every year from the shores of Lake Nakuru
– a worrying and ominous statistic.
Initially the hashtag was #BanPlasticsKe, but when the Cabinet
Secretary for Environment, Prof. Judy Wakhungu, tweeted that she was supporting
it I decided to change it to #IsupportBanPlasticsKe. My reason was to personalize it, to make it everybody’s project. The result was amazing, and is still amazing
almost 3 months since I launched it. We
hope that soon some serious measures will be taken, including banning these
plastic bags in Kenya.
Prof. Wakhungu’s tweet saying she supported our campaign
became a disappointment. I thought she
could be doing much more in her position
as a cabinet secretary. We are only
calling for regulations to ensure that only reusable
bags get into the market, banning all the rest – anything below 60 microns, or
better still, 100 microns.
Along the way, many people have come on board to support me
and the project. First, my friends in
the WhatsApp group streetnakuru (the
same name as my twitter handle). These
people are phenomenal. Without their
input the project would not have been where it is – Nawavulia Kofia!
So today I give them my shoutouts, and a cuppa coffee is on
the way too.
In no specific order:
Koech, Rapportour, Incognito, Tapphie, Swamkidd, Dr.Muniu, Kimaani,
Jabu, Vincent, Mary, Martin, Annabel, Amos, Prince, Robertinah, Aaron, Azu,
Benard, Mbatia, Joyce, Branu, WanjiruM, Caisey, Edith,Dorcas, Charles,
Josymras, Kare, Mercy, Njery, Ogallo, Pierra, RonPeter, Sammy, Karanja,
SamPrince, Shiku, SupaHuka, Uba – nobody forgotten. You are dear to me. Thanks for taking up the campaign, thanks for
owning it. You guys are a godsend. Last year we met several times for uji at Maigos – this year we will drink coffee like other people in those
nicer places. So don’t leave the group
yet, we have more to talk about, more coffees to drink, and for sure more campaigns.
I cannot forget NISISI and Onward254 – thanks so much; I am
looking forward working with you in 2016.
And to the many who took the #IsupportBanPlasticske photos without asking ‘’Hizo picha unaenda
kuuza wapi’’ – thanks a million. The photos are on my blogs. They will be among many I will be using for a
street exhibit.
Osteen Njenga from hivisasa.com – thank you.
P.S.
Thanks to all who supported the release of Baby Jeremy
(#ReleaseBabyJeremy) and Baby Godwin (#HelpReleaseBabyGodwin). Both kids had been detained in two Nakuru
hospitals just because their parents could not raise money to pay the bills.
Martin Gicinga, Samuel Kuria, Susan Kihika , Alex Blogger,
Kuria Mwangi , Sam West, Vincent Tanui, Eza and so many others – God bless you,
I salute you.
While I was hitting the keys to write this, my longtime
friend Abigail came and bought me a heavy lunch –
God bless her soul, it can’t
get any better than these.
Naomi and Suzanne Niles – thanks for reading the draft and
making a few edits .
Sometimes it’s not what you have that matters, but what you
do with it.
Prosperous new year
follow me on twitter @jwakibia and @streetnakuru follow #IsupportBanPlasticsKe campaign here @banplasticske
