The 25th of October marked the official opening of the Go Blue office; an event coordinated by the Jumuiya ya Kaunti za Pwani(JKP). In attendance was the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kenya to UN-Habitat, Amb. Jean Kimani, County Government officials from the coastal region, representatives from implementing partners of the project and both UN-Habitat and UNEP officials. It was a great day of learning and vital addresses on the Blue Economy and its importance, while also touching on critical issues such as climate change and deforestation which poses a threat to the marine environment.
The Permanent Representative emphasized that the blue economy remains a key priority to deliver on the economic and environmental benefits for the Kenyan people and is an important enabler for Kenya’s blueprint vision 2030 Agenda. She stressed that the project will enable Kenya transition to sustainable, resilient and equitable blue economies across the country and will play a critical role in addressing the SDGs, particularly poverty alleviation, food security, affordable and clean energy, and climate action, specifically, in the six counties.
On the 26th of October, a beach cleanup activity still part of the event, took place at the Jomo Kenyatta Public beach. The event saw volunteers, marine groups, students from various institutions of learning and the general public collect litter along the 6km stretch of shoreline. In total, 1015kgs of litter was collected and another 15kgs from the sea. This exercise brought out the importance of community engagement and participation in the conservation of the marine environment.
Images Courtesy UN-Habitat / Julius Mwelu.
