Nakuru activist launches campaign to ban plastics

By Njoki Maina

James Waikibia, a social media activist based in Nakuru is leading a campaign seeking to ban plastic bags nationwide.

The campaign which is running on twitter and facebook aims at sensitizing Kenyans against use of plastic bags that are below 100 microns.

“I am targeting policy makers because they are the ones who bring change,” he told Kenya Monitor.

“I want them to introduce policies that will discourage the production of these tiny plastic bags,” he added.

Although Wakibia began the campaign in 2013 he was not as active with it as he is at the moment. Apart from posting messages on his Twitter and Facebook accounts the activist has been posting photos of persons who support his campaign.

On twitter the campaign has the hashtag #ISupportBanPlasticsKe through which he has tagged persons he believes to be influential on environmental matters in the country including Prof. Judy Wakhungu, the Cabinet Secretary in charge of the environment and the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA).

Wakibia also wants Kenya to follow the example of the United Kingdom that has introduced an extra charge to shoppers for using plastic bags.

In trying to seek support for his campaign Wakibia has been taking photos of persons willing to support him with the message #ISupportBanPlasticKE.

Environmentalists observe that plastic bags are very harmful to the environment as they can take even 1,000 years to biodegrade. Wakibia says he is angered by the sight of plastic litter in the environment.

This is not the first time that the journalism graduate who is a photographer has been involved in an online media campaign. Earlier this year he led a campaign on the release of a new born baby who had been detained at a hospital in Nakuru. A video about his activism won Jonathan Masongo an award with Deutsche Welle.