By Antony Gitonga
The Government is to blame for the drought ravaging the country, the Japanese Government has said.
Though climate change has contributed, corruption and poor governance are to blame for the wanton destruction of water catchment areas.
Japanese Deputy Head of Mission, Yoichiro Yamanda, said the country faced a ‘tsunami’ in the form of drought if the destruction of forests continued.
"One of the reasons for drought is deforestation as forest cover stood at 10 per cent in independence, but is now below two per cent," he said.
He added that climate change, rapid population growth, and rapid urbanisation had compounded the problem.
"The increase in the frequency and intensity in recent years of droughts, floods and heat are widely attributed to climate change."
Yamanda said rapid climate change had an effect on fragile ecosystems, adding Japan was keen to support Africa to mitigate the effects of climate change.
He was speaking at the end of a workshop on Threshold 21 Dynamic Modeling System at Lake Naivasha Simba Lodge in Naivasha.
The PS Ministry of Planning Edward Sambili said that Government recognised the impact of climate change on the economy.
"It has therefore become necessary to factor in the effects of climate change in our development strategy."
In a speech read on his behalf by the PS Ministry of Environment Ali Mohammed, Sambili said the effects of climate change on development were a major concern.
