Mega Projects: Antithesis of the Green Belt Movement and Good Governance

How Mega Projects are the Antithesis of the Green Belt Movement and Good Governance
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How Mega Projects are the Antithesis of the Green Belt Movement and Good Governance
Professor Wangari Maathai established the Green Belt Movement in 1977 as an avenue for women to plant trees, earn from the seedlings and bring fuel closer to them. Professor Wangari Maathai was inspired by the struggles women were going through to access firewood and get access to water. Further, the complaints from women about shrinking rivers and their water volume fueled her urge to conserve the environment. At first, Wangari was dedicated to women's employment but later realized that environmental issues affected women in rural areas. Environmental degradation, deforestation, and food insecurity were deep-rooted issues; thus, GBM served as an avenue for women to solve these issues ( The Greenbelt Movement, n.d).
In addition, Professor Wangari Maathai integrated human rights and good governance into GBM. Essentially, the movement advocated for greater democratic rights and accountability from the national leaders. Wangari Maathai and Greenbelt Movement took it upon themselves to protect public land from being grabbed by leaders in command. The movement protested through hunger strikes and demonstrations within the public land even though they were persecuted and imprisoned. For instance, in October 1998, Wangari Maathai and Greenbelt Movement supporters rallied in Karura Forest, Kenya, after it was grabbed and fenced. They camped at the site until their plea was heard. Also, in 1992, women Wangari and Kenyan mothers went on an indefinite hunger strike against using Uhuru park for governmental projects ( White,2013). With the help of international communities such as UNEP, the government had to retract its decision and find another land for its project. Even though the president was unhappy and thought a woman was undermining his authority by then, he surrendered to the international plea.
Even though the Greenbelt Movement philosophy of good governance, economic empowerment, and environmental conservation was a success, many contemporary projects defy the beliefs of GBM. Modern technology and economic growth have created stiff competition between the environment and the projects, mostly in third-world countries. The competition has created a dilemma of whether to save the environment or forgo economic growth, which is believed to save many people at once ( Minea et al., 2022). For instance, a government has to decide whether to build an airport or a transportation network, which will make the life of ordinary citizens easier. This is not a philosophy of GBM. Traditionally, economic growth and development were considered to be the primary goal of a government, but the environmental impact cannot be ignored. For instance;
In Kenya, major mega-economic projects interfere with the environment and conserved spaces, which is against the Greenbelt Movement. The investment in standard gauge railway eluded a debate between conservationists and preservationists. The railway map was to cut across two national parks; Nairobi national park and Tsavo national park. Preservationists believe the environme...