Solid Waste Management Policies in Kenya: The Silence on the Plight of Women and Children Posted on 04/11/2021 (04/11/2021) by David Waiganjo PUBLICATIONS RESOURCES // PUBLICATIONS Journal Articles Solid Waste Management Policies in Kenya: The Silence on the Plight of Women and Children Maternal and Child Wellbeing November 2021 Building on available evidence that there are differences of exposure to solid waste among men, women and children, it follows that effective solid waste management (SWM) policies need to recognise such variations, as a prelude to rolling out programmes to address associated socio economic and health risks. However, this logical scenario does not seem to be the case in many middle- and low-income countries. In this paper, we use analytical review methodology to examine integrated environmental management and sector specific policies in Nairobi and Mombasa, Kenya’s two biggest cities, to highlight the extent to which existing policies cover the differential challenges of exposure to solid waste and associated health challenges for women and children. We found that apart from one municipal policy and the Kenya Vision 2030 documents respectively, which underscore the importance of including women and young people in waste management, 16 other policy documents reviewed are generally silent on women and children issues. Beyond the limited focus on women- and children- specific challenges, the general lag in policy implementation and enforcement of regulations will still hinder the emergence of an effective SWM system out of the best policy frameworks. The preceding discussion underscores both policy and implementation gaps, which need to be filled, if policies will potentially engender SWM practices that will be relevant and effective in protecting the health of the most vulnerable in urban Africa. Download CONTRIBUTORS Associate Research Scientist Dickson Amugsi Dickson is an Associate Research Scientist attached to the Maternal… View Profile Head of Urbanization and Wellbeing Blessing Mberu Blessing is a Senior Research Scientist and Head of Urbanization… View Profile Associate Research Scientist Kanyiva Muindi Kanyiva is an air quality researcher within the Urbanization and… View Profile SIMILAR PUBLICATIONS Technical Reports Women’s participation in household decision-making and higher dietary diversity: findings from nationally representative data from Ghana Journal Articles Women’s education and utilization of maternal health services in Africa: a multi-country and socioeconomic status analysis Journal Articles Who Helps Single Mothers in Nairobi? The Role of Kin Support Journal Articles What does quality maternity care mean in a context of medical pluralism? Perspectives of women in Nigeria Briefing Papers What are the Benefits of Subsidized Early Childcare? Evidence from Kenya Short Report Urban Profile Kenya Short Report Urban Nutrition Case Study Briefing Papers Urban Health Assessment: Nutrition and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Challenges Facing Children and Adolescents in Urban Slums in Nairobi Briefing Papers Urban health assessment: Nutrition and Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) challenges faced by children and adolescents in urban slums in Nairobi