By Benard Ogembo | ogembobenard@gmail.com
Kenya is under pressure to prove its environmental leadership as it hosts an informal Heads of Delegations meeting this week in Nairobi, ahead of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) from July 14-18. The country’s credibility is being questioned after it failed to sign the “Stand Up For Ambition” declaration at INC-5 in Busan and the “Nice Wake-Up Call” at the recent UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3).
Despite lobbying to host the permanent Global Plastics Treaty Secretariat at UNEP headquarters in Nairobi, critics say Kenya’s commitment to an ambitious treaty remains uncertain. The country has already sent official requests to France, Azerbaijan, Cuba, and Finland, and Environment Cabinet Secretary Dr. Deborah Barasa confirmed only Kenya and Switzerland had formally applied, with the latter proposing Geneva under the WHO.
“This is our clarion call—we need your sincere support to host the secretariat here in Nairobi,” said CS Barasa during bilateral talks with a visiting French delegation, emphasizing the city’s strategic role in global environmental governance.
Yet observers argue Kenya’s efforts may be more about positioning than principle. While the country has banned plastic bags and single-use plastics in protected areas and joined the Kenya Plastics Pact, it only entered the High Ambition Coalition in late 2024. That coalition—now with nearly 100 nations—calls for a legally binding, circular, and lifecycle-based approach to plastic management.
Greenpeace Africa welcomed Kenya’s recent alignment but urged deeper action. Campaigner Gerance Mutwol called for “eradicating plastic pollution throughout its entire lifecycle” and eliminating items like plastic sachets. He added that Kenya must champion “a just, inclusive, low-carbon, zero-waste, toxic-free, reuse-oriented economy.”
A global Ipsos survey commissioned by WWF and Plastic Free Foundation found 85% of people support banning unnecessary and harmful single-use plastics. However, Kenya’s absence from key declarations contrasts with its stated ambition and raises concern among diplomats and civil society.
India was also missing from the recent declarations, despite publicly supporting a legally binding treaty. Meanwhile, countries like Rwanda, often seen as regional climate leaders alongside Kenya, have been more consistent in their public commitments.
A strong treaty, as outlined by French Minister for Ecological Transition Agnes Pannier-Runacher, must reduce primary plastic production, phase out harmful products, redesign materials for circularity, and be guided by the “polluter pays” principle.
The next major round of negotiations (INC-5.2) is scheduled for August 5–14 in Geneva, where the treaty’s final shape is expected to take form. UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan called the recent declarations “a historic moment,” signaling global momentum despite delays that may push the treaty’s conclusion into 2025.
Kenya did endorse Rwanda’s paper on plastic production caps at INC-5, joining 42 African nations. However, its history of lobbying pressures—including a 2020 attempt by the American Chemistry Council to use a US-Kenya trade deal to expand plastics in Africa—still shadows its global stance.
As host of UNEP and past venue for critical treaty milestones like UNEA-5.2 and INC-3, Nairobi remains a leading contender to house the treaty’s Secretariat. But for Kenya to lead globally, its actions must now match its ambition. The world is watching.
