NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 12 — The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and technology firm United Platform Solutions have jointly developed a digital platform designed to monitor industrial pollution in real time across Kenya, the environmental regulator said on Wednesday.
The system, known as the Kenya Online Continuous Emissions Monitoring System (KOCEMS), was unveiled at an event presided over by Deborah Barasa in the presence of NEMA officials and industry stakeholders.
NEMA said the initiative marks “a new era of digital environmental regulation and real-time pollution monitoring” aimed at strengthening compliance with Kenya’s environmental laws.
Speaking during the launch, Barasa said air pollution remains a significant environmental and public health threat across Africa, contributing to more than 1.1 million premature deaths annually.
“She underscored that the introduction of this system represents a major step in not only strengthening environmental compliance and enforcement but also supporting evidence-based policy decision-making, which will enhance the protection of public health and the environment,” NEMA said in a statement.
The launch was attended by NEMA’s Director of Environmental Compliance David Ong’are, who represented Director General Mamo Mamo.
Web-based monitoring
Mamo noted that the initiative is anchored in Regulation 59 of the Environmental Management and Coordination (Air Quality) Regulations, 2024, which requires regulated facilities to install web-based Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems (CEMS) capable of transmitting real-time emissions data to the authority.
Under the framework, factories, power plants, cement manufacturers, refineries, and other industrial facilities will install Internet-of-Things (IoT) based sensors that continuously track emissions and transmit the data to a centralized monitoring platform managed by NEMA.
The regulator said the system integrates AI-enabled analytics to process emissions data, enabling authorities to quickly detect pollution breaches and respond more effectively.
Through KOCEMS, NEMA will gain 24-hour real-time visibility into emissions levels from industrial facilities nationwide, strengthening oversight of compliance with environmental standards.
Beyond industrial emissions, the platform will also support monitoring of air, water, and noise pollution, creating a broader environmental data framework for regulators and policymakers.
