Thesis:

Impact of environmental governance on public health services in Mandera West sub- county, Mandera county, Kenya

Health is inextricably linked to environment where climate variations have influenced human health and therefore a clean environment is essential for human health and wellbeing. On the other hand, unrestrained and uncontrolled development contributes to environmental health issues because it overexploits the natural environment and its resources Environmental degradation poses a major threat to the existence of humanity today both in rural and urban settlements. In such a scenario, the importance and need for environmental education as a tool for environmental management and conservation cannot be overemphasized. The study sought to establish the effect of environmental governance on public health services in Mandera West Sub- County, Mandera County, Kenya. The study focused on the following key specific objectives: To establish the level of environmental awareness of citizens and leaders, to establish the level of participation of citizens, level compliance with environmental regulation and evaluate the effect of compliance with environmental governance on public health. The study proposed to utilize three theories environment management theory, goal setting theory and system theory to show the interconnection between ideas, propositions and data as evidence of connection between the phenomena been studies and the underlying assumptions. The study adopted mixed methodology approach which involved incorporation quantitative and qualitative methods. Therefore, in this research target population included all set of data of all cases related with community members together with environment officers at national and county level, out of which a sample will be made. The study target population was 6 County environment officers and 700 community members for community members the study adopted a stratified random sampling procedure, from the selected sample of 141 community members the sample was stratified to ensure that only community members who had lived in the 10 years and above. The stratification was necessary since the study targeted community members with enough exposure to experience in terms of trend, timeline, magnitude and extent environmental matters. Purposive sampling was done to select the Environmental Officers (NEMA) at National level domiciled in the County The study adopted three tools of data collection instruments, which included questionnaires, interview schedule, and secondary data The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, and means and presented as tables and graphs. The findings suggest that while there is some awareness of environmental issues in Mandera West Sub-County, it does not translate into active participation or compliance with environmental regulations. The lack of engagement and effective governance mechanisms may be contributing to adverse public health outcomes, as indicated by the reported increase in pollution-related health issues. This situation underscores the need for a multifaceted approach to enhance environmental governance, awareness, and participation to improve public health and the overall quality of life in the community.