Determinants of compliance with governance instruments for adoption of green concept in environmental management: Case of Nairobi

The constitutional guarantee to a clean and healthy environment was a win in Kenyan environmental space as safeguarded by her 2010 constitution. However, environmental governance in Kenya still lacks enforcement and compliance at institutional and citizen levels. This paper documents peoples’ perceptions and factors that influence compliance with governance instruments that regulate adoption of green concept in environmental management; protection, conservation and preservation. Data was collected by surveying 92 households and five key informants (n=97) using semi-structured questionnaires, interviews and observations. The nonparametric Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) was used to determine the degree of connectivity between the society/institutions and the environmental governance. Respondents’ understanding of green concept in environmental management was significantly low although majority seemed to be aware of the existence of governance instruments regulating the concept in environmental management. Majority also neither knew the implication nor complied with its governance instruments in environmental management. Majority of the respondents agreed compliance to governance instruments would enhance application of green concept in waste management but majority were of contrary view for its application in use of clean energy and its role in industries. Majority of the respondents indicated lack of awareness affected compliance with governance instruments but agreed benefits attributed to its application could result to compliance with its governance instruments as applied to environment management. Majority were willing to comply with the governance instruments after awareness creation, civic education and strict enforcement of the instruments. *Corresponding Author: Mutembei Henry M’Ikiugu  hmutembei@uonbi.ac. ke Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences (JBES) ISSN: 2220-6663 (Print) 2222-3045 (Online) Vol. 12, No. 3, p. 28-38, 2018 http://www.innspub. net J. Bio. Env. Sci. 2018 29 | Eva and M’Ikiugu Introduction Governance refers to rules, processes, and behaviour by which interests are articulated, resources are managed, and power is exercised (European Commission, 2004). This means instruments are the laws, regulations and policies that guide the process of governance. Thus, governance framework includes laws and regulations, local and international conventions, policies and administrative structures including local and international institutions, social norms and traditions (HLPE, 2014). Biodiversity is under threat from human civilization requiring regulation to counter this threat (UNEP, 2012). Increased biodiversity loss, pollution, and climate change scenarios persist because of many factors that also include a gap in environmental governance (Lange et al., 2013). Effective environmental governance embraces three elements at three different levels: formal and informal rules, the way and process they are established, and who contribute to it (HLPE, 2014). Thus, effective environmental governance encompasses national rules, international rules, local and customary practices (HLPE, 2014). Since introduction of modern environmental regulation in 1970s there has been continuous challenge in design and implementation of effective, efficient and legitimate regulation for governments and society (Gunningham, 2009). Governments and their agents initially tried to manage environmental problems by enforcing strict rules and standards set out in legislation and treaties (Gunningham, 2009). However neoliberal ideals arose in 1980s that forced the governments to shift towards a curbed via market-based approach of governance that embraced voluntarism and other ‘light-handed policy initiatives such as partnerships and cooperation (Gunningham and Holley 2010). Eventually in 1990s ecological degradation and other issues resulting from complex social and environmental problems started to be managed through what is increasingly being called ‘new environmental governance’ (Driessen et al., 2012; Holley et al., 2012). Green concept in environmental management was introduced in 2000s to protection, preservation and conservation of the environment via resourceefficient throughout the life-cycle of the affected biodiversity (Ji and Plainiotis, 2006). To achieve effective implementation of the concept, its planning, design, and implementation required close cooperation of the stakeholders through effective governance instruments and compliance practices (Najam et al., 2006; Bessa et al., 2007; Cole and Grossman 1999; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2009; Asare and Okyere, 2012; Aguilera et al., 2015). Environmental governance via state-centered approaches to law and regulation in Kenya achieved some gains in halting and reducing environmental degradation. However this approach, suffers from a number of weaknesses that limit its effectiveness in grassroots movements involved in management of the environment (Osborne and Gaebler 1993; Graham et al., 2003; James, 2003; Maathai, 2009; Driessen et al., 2012; Holley et al., 2012). Notably, governance of environmental issues have been demonstrated to face complex types of management and institutional coordination problems that require a cooperative frame of approach in order to provide consented solutions via dialogue and participation (Hochstetler and Keck, 2007; Maathai, 2009). It is envisaged that green concept implementation requires active engagement of various sectors and sub-sectors working closely in partnerships and networks (Stoker, 1998; UNCED, 1992; Cerqueira, 2006). This paper seeks to address deficiencies in environmental governance on adoption of the green concept by studying governance interactions among structures, processes and traditions that determine how power and responsibilities are exercised, how decisions are taken, and how citizens or other stakeholders have their say in the adoption processes. The data will contribute to practical ways of enhancing governance compliance through education and awareness via inclusivity, participation and involvement. J. Bio. Env. Sci. 2018 30 | Eva and M’Ikiugu Materials and methods Based on a previous approach, the theoretical framework of the research was based on institutional and resource based view where coercive push and resource benefits for society were expected to influence adoption of green concept in environmental management (Florida and Davison, 2001). Thus, in brief a conceptual framework (Fig. 1) was utilized to design the study that assumed that the actors (society and institutions) willingness to adopt the green concept in environmental management was dependent on existing governance instruments (laws, regulations and policies) and their level of compliance, public perceptions and awareness level, the public knowledge, attitudes and practices. Data was collected in Nairobi because it is a host to key environmental organizations like UNEP, government ministry and other NGOs that formulate and implement policies on environmental management. Surveys were conducted using semi structured questionnaires and key informant interviews. The questionnaires and interviews focused on attributes of environmental governance as applied to green concept in environmental management (activities of conservation, preservation and protection). Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method was used to evaluate the determinants of human perceptions, decisions, activities as they related to governance of implementation of green concept in environmental management (Reinhard et al., 2000; De Koeijer et al., 2002; Sipiläinen et al., 2008). In brief, DEA method compared various individual and institutional decisions as they impacted on the governance and these were considered to be based on homogenous set of decisions made by individual respondents as previously described (Boussonfiane et al., 1991; De Koeijer et al., 2002). The constructs of the determinant frontier (the most preferred combinations of decisions) took into account the impacts of the decisions on people’s knowledge, attitudes and practices on governance instruments that affected adoption of the green concept in Nairobi. As previously also described, since the surveys aimed to analyse individual and institutional decisions that affected the governance on the adoption of green concept itself, and the influence the governance had on management of the environment (Solovyeva et al., 2011), possible theories of statistical variety on each decision type of the randomly chosen respondents were considered (MacDonald et al., 2000, Tasser and Tappeiner 2002; Dullinger et al., 2003, Fare and Grosskopf, 2004; Kuosmanen and Kortelainen, 2004 and 2005; Kuemmerle et al., 2008). Ninety two (92) household heads were surveyed and five (5) key informants interviewed. Data on perceptions, knowledge, attitudes and practices on governance of green concept implementation process was collected. Open and closed questions as well as qualitative and quantitative questions were used as previously described (Jahnke and Jahnke, 1982; Fare and Grosskopf, 2004). The indicators were weighed according to their importance in adoption of green concept in environmental management using chisquare test of significance level (P≤0.05, n=97). Statistical bias resulting from utilization of questionnaire surveys (i.e. social desirability bias, leniency bias) was minimized by adapting a previously described methodology (Michelsen and de Boer, 2009). Results Knowledge, attitudes and practice on green concept and its governance instruments in environmental management The data presented in Table 1 and 2 indicate that the respondents’ understanding of green concept in environmental management was significantly low (33.0±2.11, n=97, P≤0.05). However, majority seemed to be aware of the existence of governance instruments regulating environmental management (56.7±1.62, n=97, P≤0.05). Surprisingly, majority also n