Effectiveness of the Ecocentric Goal of Education and Policies in Relation to Sustainable Environmental Protection in Kenya
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Date
2022
Authors
Mwendwa, Cosmus Mutua
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
Natural environment and resources are valuable assets that a country has no choice but to
sustainably manage for the present and future generations. Kenya as a country has an
ecocentric goal of education and policies for sustainable environmental protection that
are intended to provide the foundation upon which sustainable use of natural resources is
to be based. The implementation of the ecocentric goal and related policies were
anticipated to culminate in developed values and skills for promoting citizens‟ awareness,
commitment and participation in sustainable development. However, despite this
undertaking, institutional reports and observations indicate despicable trend of Kenya‟s
environmental degradation over the decades. This trend has made Kenya rank poorly in
EPI, being position 130 out of 180 in 2018. Accordingly, this study investigated the
effectiveness of the ecocentric goal of education and policies on sustainable
environmental protection in Kenya. It explored the nature of the ecocentric goal of
education and policy measures on sustainable environmental protection; assessed the
effectiveness of the implementation of these measures; determined the underlying factors
for incessant environmental degradation despite these measures; and recommended
applicable alternative strategies to supplement for effective implementation of the
ecocentric goal of education and policies towards sustainable environmental protection in
light of Environmental Citizenship :a theory that explains citizenry practices that reflect
environmental ethics and responsibility in view of values, attitudes and skills for
sustainable environmental protection. The study design was a mixture of descriptive and
philosophical approaches. The target population included government officers from
MoEF, KFS, KWS, NEMA, WRA, Environment Departments from the 47 Counties and
general citizens. Secondary data were from institutional reports (document analysis)
while primary data were from descriptive interview sessions with the officers and
citizens. Purposive sampling was used to select the documents analysed and officials
interviewed, while the citizens were snowballed. A sample size of 119 respondents was
used. Conceptual and phenomenological analyses were used to interrogate the descriptive
experiences of the respondents and institutional reports, interpret implications and
recommendations. The study found out that the implementation of the ecocentric goal of
education and policies has been ineffective: the citizens incessantly degrade the
environment. The factors behind the unabated environmental destruction being:
institutional incapacity, low level of conscientization, and indecorous public governance.
Thus, the implementation of the goal and policies has not enabled citizenry
consciousness, commitment and participation for sustainable environmental protection. It
therefore requires enhanced conscientization and enculturation that should transmute
Kenyans into environmental citizens through: increased institutional capacity and
expanded legal frameworks, coupled with concerted citizenry involvement, to enable
citizens‟ commitment and participation in sustainable environmental protection. The
findings and recommendations should form the basis of future reflection that
implementation agencies ought to follow in their mandated tasks.
Description
A Research Thesis Submitted in Fulfillment of Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Philosophy of Education) in the School of Education, Kenyatta University, May, 2022
Keywords
Effectiveness, Ecocentric Goal, Education, Policies, Sustainable Environmental Protection, Kenya