In order to protect the Marine ecosystems, the Judiciary in Malindi has announced a major reduction in cases of illegal fishing activities within the Indian ocean areas that is creating a proper environment for marine life.
Malindi Chief Magistrate Elizabeth Usui said previously the illegal fishing methods cases were rampant and were harmful to the environment and marine life.
Addressing Stakeholders during a clean-up exercise at the Mayungu fish landing site in Malindi to mark the 10th anniversary of the Malindi Environment and Lands Court she said the move was positive in ensuring conservation is given priority.
“We thank our youth who do fishing nowadays I do not get many cases of illegal fishing methods using arrows in the protected areas those cases have gone down I thank you and urge you to maintain that,” she said.
Further, she said there was a need for locals to be aware that the conservation of the environment was important and that anyone can move to court to ensure they seek orders or direction to stop any activities that are threatening the environment.
“Everybody has a right to live in a clean environment, to live and benefit from a clean environment, that’s why in our constitution anyone who finds destruction of the environment has a right to come to court to seek directions so as to stop the destruction,” she said.
The clean-up also brought together Environment and Lands Court Judges together with Magistrates from all Coast region together with Court users Association members, Progress Welfare Association which is at the forefront in organizing clean ups monthly in Malijndi,local conservationists groups, Beach Management Units, and the Business Community in Malindi and they cleaned the Mayungu landing site to free it from plastic and other solid wastes.
The Magistrate said as a judiciary they were committed to continuing partnering with the community in participating in the clean-ups to ensure they make the environment clean.
Progress Welfare Association of Malindi (PWAM) Chairperson Kate Mwikali called on the youth to be innovative so as to benefit from government funding such as the hustler funds that will be rolled out by President William Ruto Next Month.
She said its time youth begin forming groups so as to be able to benefit from such funding including those that will be cleaning the environment at their locality from Nyumba 10 level.
You can form groups in your locality and begin collecting waste from households at a fee, when you collect you must also segregate the wastes others are lazy its important to ensure if it’s plastic it goes to a separate bin of plastics, metal objects, biodegradable to be in separate bins, she said.
She said Solid Waste management has so many job opportunities for the youth such as Plastics which are now sold at Sh. 15 per Kilo
Kilifi County CEC Member for Water and Environment Omar Said said they were happy to see stakeholders coming together including the Judiciary to take part in the Beach clean up and emphasized the need of having more partnerships to help programs of cleanups in the beach and the dry lands.
He said there is more results in the partnerships rather than the county doing the work alone and called on others willing to partner to visit their offices and they will be welcomed anytime.
Mr. Omar said the plan to relocate the Mayungu dumpsite is in top gear as they have begun the process adding that they are in talks with the Municipality to see the best location for relocating it in an area where it can not e harmful to people and also e ale to do recycling.
We are very passionate about it to ensure that we provide a healthy and clean environment for the people, our governor as well is very passionate about it actually immediately after swearing in he tasked me to do that, go to the field and see what is going on, especially the issue of relocating the Mayungu dumpsite
