Strategies Adopted by National Environment Management Authority to Enhance Compliance of Environmental Regulations in Kenya

Abstract

In Kenya alone, there are over twenty regulatory agencies with different objectives to fulfill. Regulatory compliance is a critical undertaking of any regulatory authority that is desirous of ensuring that the jurisdiction it is mandated to oversee benefits the public at large. National Environment Management Authority provides a suitable case which can be relied upon to make insights that can be extrapolated to the large family of regulatory authorities in Kenya. The objective of this study was to establish the strategies that the authority has adopted in ensuring that environmental regulations are complied with. There are a myriad of environmental regulations such as waste management, wetland regulations and water quality regulations which are critical in ensuring sustainability of our environment if the country is to achieve its vision 2030 goals. It is a matter of grave concern to the public if these regulations were not complied with since our future and that of generations to come would be deprived off life literally. The other objective of this study was to relate with the challenges that were facing the authority in it quest of ensuring regulatory compliance. The study found out that numerous strategies were at play in enforcing the environmental compliance issue at the authority. The general direction and set targets originated from the Ministry of environment. These were later analyzed at length by the authority’s board eventually cascading to the management and operational staff through performance contracts. Enforcement of the regulations through inspections, audits and prosecution is a major strategy used by the authority as well as most regulatory authorities and this particular finding just affirmed what has been documented in previous researches. The strategy that was not as conspicuous but came into light during research was the enterprise strategy which entails managing for stake holder’s needs and expectations. Through this strategy, the authority has particularly perfected the art of utilizing lead agents in its quest for ensuring environmental regulation compliance. According to the Environmental Management and Co-ordination Act number 8 of 1999, the authority’s role is so wide since it touches on anything that affects the environment which is an abundant resource in this country. Despite the meager resources the state allocates the authority to carry out this critical function, the authority has utilized this particular strategy to optimally achieve its mandate. Other strategies such as harmony strategy have also strongly been confirmed. This study recommends that the authority should lobby the current environmental sustainability performance contract targets for ministries, departments and agencies programme which is an ingenious undertaking by the authority to continually empower all Government ministries and agents to take part in environment conservation be constituted under an act of parliament so that the private sector can also be tasked to conserve the environment. This will go along way in ensuring Kenyans take responsibility in conserving the environment for our future generations. It further recommends the adoption of the lead agent concept by all Government institutions and affiliates in order to enhance efficiency created by the economies of scale derived.