Kakamega County Environmental Management Act, 2019 (No. 2 of 2019).

This Act is enacted for the purpose of providing regulation and control of air pollution, noise pollution, water pollution, public nuisances, waste management and land pollution. The Act establishes a County Environmental Technical Committee and provides for the composition of the Committee. The Committee is charged with the proper management of the devolved environmental functions; and developing a county strategic environmental report every five years, in conjunction with the environmental department. Essentially, the Act prohibits, in a detailed manner, acts which cause air pollution and provides penal sanctions for its contravention. Similarly, it prohibits noise which annoys, disturbs or endangers the comfort of other persons and environment and establishes permissible noise levels. The Law describes certain acts as public nuisance including, public defecation/urination, spitting saliva indiscriminately, discarding waste materials in unauthorized public places etc. and creates penal sanctions for the contravention of these provisions. The Act charges the environmental department and waste generators with the duty to ensure effective management of solid waste through collection, storage, transportation, recycling and disposal of wastes in an environmentally sound manner. The Act places criminal liability with stringent penal terms on any person generating, managing or disposing waste in a manner that pollutes water systems or land.
The county government department responsible for matters relating to environment shall take necessary steps in order to control air pollution within the county, including promotion of tree planting and expansion of forest cover and conservation of existing forests. An authorized officer shall, among other things, monitor compliance with the environmental, forestry and natural resources standards established under this Act or any other written law. A person shall not carry out the spraying of pesticides, either by tractor or aerial, within the county unless that person complies with prescribed control measures.