Role of Communication in the Conservation and Restoration of Water Resources in the Face of a Changing Climate: a Case Study of the Nairobi River in Nairobi City County, Kenya.

Abstract

Over the years, the water volume and quality at the Nairobi River have deteriorated because of predominantly human interference both from the populace residing along the riverbank and from industrial waste dumped into the river. Sewage and solid waste disposal at the Nairobi River are the major drivers of pollution at the Nairobi River (AWWDA, 2022). This research paper examined the role of communication in the conservation and restoration efforts at the Nairobi River in the face changing climate. Every person has the right to a clean and healthy environment, as stated in Article 42 of the Kenyan Constitution (CoK), 2010, which also includes the right to have the environment protected for the benefit of current and future generations through legislative and other measures, particularly those considered in Article 69. In light of Article 69 of the CoK, 2010, the state is required, among other things, to guarantee the equitable distribution of benefits accruing from the sustainable exploitation, utilization, management, and conservation of the environment and natural resources; promote public involvement in environmental management, protection, and conservation; and eradicate practices and activities that pose a risk to the environment. This study is premised on two-step flow theory by Paul Lazersfeld which posits that information flows from mass media channels to opinion leaders who interpret the messages before passing them on to the less active members of public. This research project also derives from Everett Rogers’ diffusion of innovation theory which serves as a framework for elucidating the gradual process through which a novel idea or products gain momentum and permeates a specific population or social structure. The research design for this study is systematic review. The study applied thematic analysis of national programs, policies and guidelines, stakeholder report and media articles related to the management of water bodies to come up with broad approaches communicators in the niche of conservation and restoration should embrace as topics for messaging. Additionally, strategic documents from various stakeholders were analyzed which revealed various challenges in the implementation of the strategies and therefore proposes solutions to such strategic challenges. The qualitative analysis aspects of the study involved descriptions of the implication of these themes in the management of the Nairobi river and the Nairobi river ecosystem in Kenya. The findings support use of public education more cohesively than in the past to achieve transformation of public attitudes towards sound waste disposal to save the Nairobi River. This was found to require framing communication messages on rules and regulations reflected in the environmental and water governance frameworks to resonate well with the public. Additionally, it was found out that to change public perceptions towards sound waste disposal, incentives – economic, informative and prohibitive – required to be incorporated and operationalized in the agenda setting on water resource protection at institutional and mass media levels. The study’s findings projected that there was a need to adopt a multi-stakeholder approach in conservation of Nairobi River.