Lamu, 21 February 2022 – The cre
For people across the developing world, there is often no escape from water pollution. Tens of millions live alongside rivers choked with sewage, lakes filled with farm run-off and canals brimming with industrial toxins.
Nairobi/Kampala, June 25, 2021 - Uganda has today joined the Clean Seas Campaign, demonstrating the country’s commitment to curbing the flow of marine litter and plastic waste entering lakes, rivers, and the ocean.
For the better part of the last month the Flipflopi, a boat cobbled together from recycled plastic, has been circumnavigating Africa’s biggest lake, braving high winds and torrential rain to shine a light on pollution.
Last week, that journey came to an end as the 10-metre long vessel pulled into Mwanza, Tanzania, the last stop on a three-country, 850-kilometre voyage across Lake Victoria.
A stroll along the beaches of Watamu, Kenya used to mean navigating a sea of garbage, including piles of plastic water bottles.
The trash marred what was otherwise an idyllic setting on the Indian Ocean – and it was toxic for the small town’s tourism industry.
But today, Watamu’s beaches are dramatically cleaner thanks to a novel recycling programme headed by the Watamu Marine Association, a grassroots organization.
For much of the last three weeks, the Flipflopi, a dhow made from recycled plastic, including a helping of old sandals, has been calling into ports across Lake Victoria. The crew of the 10-metre-long vessel is on a mission to raise awareness about a tide of plastic choking Africa’s biggest lake – and to demonstrate that trash can be turned into treasure.
The Flipflopi, a dhow made from recycled plastic, has set sail on its second voyage, taking to riverine communities in Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya to highlight the importance of reversing the damage of plastic pollution to communities that depend on Lake Victoria.
Walking, cycling, picnicking in Nairobi’s lush Karura Forest, it is often hard to believe one is a mere two kilometres from the centre of one of Africa’s busiest cities. The woodlands are sprawling and serene, home to extraordinary biodiversity - indigenous plants and trees, 200 bird species, including Hawk and Africa Crowned eagles, owls, butterflies and colobus monkeys – which provide a sharp contrast to nearby fume-choked roads.
Kenya is emerging as a leader in the fight against plastic pollution and is among the first countries in East Africa to limit single-use plastics and sign the Clean Seas initiative to rid waterways of plastic waste.
