Prime
Environment: Empty promises or hopeful change?
Hussein K. Muyinda
What you need to know:
Enhanced vigilance and active participation from the Ugandan public could be crucial drivers...
Over the decades, polythene bags colloquially known as kavera have forcefully represented an escalating environmental crisis in Uganda. In 2018, the government made a high-profile vow to impose a total ban on the usage and production of polythene bags, a promise that now lies in the realm of unreclaimed rhetoric. In a news story published in the Sunday Monitor of January7, 2024, Dr Barirega Akankwasah, the executive director of the National Environment Management Authority, revealed that the government is back with a revised commitment, now facilitated through the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE), to make amendments to the National Environment Act and ensure the kavera’s erasure from Uganda’s environmental landscape. Enough to restore Uganda’s faith in government action? Perhaps a closer look will provide answers.
In the realm of environmental rhetoric, the government in 2018 beamed with promising words and impressive claims as they recognised the environmental hazards associated with polythene bags such as soil degradation, flood blockages, and immense strain on waste management. The objective was clear- a total ban was to be imposed. Yet, policy implementation fell short of the initial promise. The Government not only failed to impose an all-encompassing ban but also allowed bags below 30 microns to be continued for usage in 2018, citing the advice of the Committee on Natural Resources. But was this a reasonable compromise or an unspoken surrender to industry lobbying pressure?
The proposed ban faced legitimate challenges-opposition from manufacturers warning of job losses, poor enforcement mechanisms, and limited alternatives for consumers. But the overall response of previous administrations, from the widespread use of kavera to the substandard waste management infrastructure, underscored a visible lack of political willpower.
The government through the Ministry of Water and Environment is now promising to fortify the National Environment Act with amendments to ensure a total ban on polythene bags. Yet, skepticism prevails-past experience and the ever-present corporate lobbying pressure looming over the pathway to the effective ban. To link words to action, the government must champion a stark change in attitude resolutely deflecting corporate influence, encouraging implementation capabilities, and ensuring consumer adaptation to eco-friendly alternatives.
Revisiting whether we should trust the government’s environmental discretion, the answer lies in a grey area. Trust is not awarded summarily but is thoroughly earned. Even as the commencement of constructive discourse and engagement on the issue heralds a positive sign, the extensive barrier lies in the government’s follow-through to ensure that the echoes of past failures do not repeat themselves.
Enhanced vigilance and active participation from the Ugandan public could be crucial drivers pushing the government towards effective suggesting a significant correlation between public pressure and effective policy implementation. Notably, Uganda’s populace must continue to scrutinise and constructively critique the government’s steps in ushering in an effective and comprehensive ban on kavera.
Trust in the government’s current commitment to ban the use of polythene bags will attain validation only via vigorous action and effective results, a meticulous blend of political will, stakeholder alignment, robust enforcement mechanisms, and public participation will pave a way forward towards the sustainable future.
Mr Hussein Kato Muyinda, Executive Director Earth and Rights Initiative (ERI)
