The government through the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, and Forestry headed by Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale appealed to Kenyans to observe Thursday, October 10, as a public holiday for Mazingira Day.
The CS explained that the Mazingira Day 2024 will be a crucial opportunity for Kenya to accelerate environmental protection and raise awareness of the triple planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity, and pollution.
"In furtherance of the Constitutional right to a clean and healthy environment, H.E President William Ruto on 24th April assented to the Statute law (Miscellaneous Amendment Bill 2024) that saw the public holiday amended. Redesignating Utamaduni Day as Mazingira Day to be observed as a national public holiday on October 10 every year," reads part of the notice.
He added that Mazingira Day aligns with the National Landscape and Ecosystem Restoration Programme and supports the goal of restoring 10.6 million hectares of degraded land by planting more trees.
On Mazingira Day, Kenyans are expected to participate in environment conservation activities.
In a notice, therefore, Duale appealed to Kenyans to partake in 3 major activities during the Mazingira Day Holiday. They include clean-up activities to rid the environment of waste from homes, roads, parks, beaches, and any other areas that require clean-up.
The public will also be expected to partake in tree planting exercises in line with the National Government's efforts towards accelerating landscape and ecosystem restoration by growing 15 billion trees by 2030, which is instrumental in addressing climate change effects.
Kenyans are also expected to attend forums and get involved in activities that highlight pollution control and good waste management practices that encourage the circular economy model of reducing, reusing, and recycling at household and commercial levels.
Kenyans are also encouraged to volunteer for or contribute to organizations committed to wildlife conservation and environmental protection, reduce plastic consumption, conserve water, and utilise social media to spread awareness about environmental issues.
This will be the first time Kenya will be celebrating October 10 as Mazingira Day. Formerly, October 10 was celebrated as Moi Day, where Kenyans honored former President Daniel Moi, now deceased.
Mazingira Day holiday is one of the initiatives by the Government of Kenya aimed at addressing the effects of climate change. The President Ruto-led administration has established ambitious targets to tackle environmental challenges.
Among the targets is the planting of 15 billion trees by 2030, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 32% by 2030, relative to a business-as-usual scenario, through a combination of mitigation and adaptation strategies.
Ruto's administration also targets to commit to boosting the share of renewable energy in the national grid to 70% by 2030, taking advantage of the country’s abundant geothermal and wind energy resources.
