steven maseka 
Dr Ayub Macharia_NEMA
- 10th Annual Circular Economy Conference Concludes with an Action Plan for Elimination of Single -Use Plastics in the MICE, Hospitality &Tourism Sectors
Day two of the 10th Annual Circular Economy Conference and No Waste Festival featured the Kenya Plastics Pact (KPP) Summit, which focused on accelerating the transition to a circular economy for plastics.
The summit included the official launch of the NO SUP USE (No Single-Use Plastics) Elimination campaign and Manual, a landmark initiative aimed at phasing out problematic single-use plastics, starting with Kenya’s hospitality and tourism sectors.
The manual promotes the principles of Refuse, Reduce, Replace, Reuse, and Refill. Co-hosted by Sustainable Inclusive Business Kenya (SIB-K) in partnership with the Kenya Plastics Pact (KPP), the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, and the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), the conference was powered by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Kenya and
supported by a coalition of strategic partners.
The event, themed “Reimagine: Looking Back into the Future,” convened over 300 delegates, including policymakers, industry leaders, innovators, and youth,Kenya Plastics Pact (KPP),for a day focused on “Circularity in Action.”
The opening session featured insightful addresses underscoring the urgency and opportunity of circularity for Kenya’s economic resilience and environmental health.
Ms. Karin Boomsma, Project Director of SIB-K, acknowledged the progress made in eliminating single-use plastics while highlighting the challenges of making a circular economy for plastics work.“We want to eliminate plastics that are problematic and unnecessary.
This is not based on a gut feeling but on research, and it involves bringing everyone together in this space to say what is actually problematic and unnecessary,” she said.
She emphasized the need to approach circularity from a design perspective to transform the linear economy into a viable and sustainable circular economy.
Akshay Shah, Group Executive Director at Sila Africa and Chair of the KPP Steering Committee, noted the progress achieved over the last five years in advancing circular economy principles.
“Circular Economy is poised to be Kenya’s greatest economic transformation driver, establishing the nation as a global green manufacturing hub that will unleash significant investment, generate jobs across all skill levels, and unlock ecotourism.
We need a clear definition of problematic plastics and must showcase that recycling can be profitable if the right environment and enforcement are in place.”
Discussing the implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in Kenya, Dr. Ayub Macharia, Director for Environmental Enforcement at NEMA, emphasized the value-chain approach and the essential role waste pickers play within it.
He noted that NEMA is working closely with all actors across the value chain to strengthen the system. Dr. Macharia also urged private-sector players to develop effective mechanisms for managing the waste they generate, underscoring their critical responsibility in achieving a functional circular economy.
The day also featured two plenary sessions and five breakout sessions exploring topics such as EPR and Legislation, Circular Futures, Design Thinking in Practice, No Plastics in the MICE, Hospitality & Tourism Industry, and the Global Plastics Treaty.
Other notable guests included Mr. Joharie Kisiangani of Takataka Solutions and Dr. Catherine Mbaisi, Deputy Director of Environmental Education & Awareness at NEMA.
