Governors to miss out on National Environmental Management Authority board

Parliament has rejected attempts by county governments and the civil society to assume a greater role of environmental management.

This is after a mediation committee of the National Assembly and Senate agreed to throw out amendments to the Environmental Management and Coordination (amendment) Bill, which would have allowed county governments and the civil society to flex their muscles on the Board of National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA).

The committee rejected a suggestion to have a representative of the Council of Governors replace the Attorney General on the Nema Board, arguing it would be tantamount to watering down the role of the national government.

The committee also relegated the civil society to the sidelines of environmental management by excluding it from Nema's complaints committee. It argued that the civil society lacked instruments for choosing a representative to the board and the bill had not provided such a mechanism.