The Nairobi County Government has adopted a number of measures in an effort to improve the city’s aesthetic/COURTESY
NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 3 – In a bid to deal with solid waste management in Nairobi County, plans have been put in place to create additional landfills and enhance capacity for timely collection and disposal of waste.
According to the Treasury’s 2018-19 County Fiscal Strategy Paper, the County Government is committed to ensure the city remains clean through proper waste management. The fiscal paper will guide the Finance Department and County Assembly through budget making and preparation of the Finance Bill.
Other proposed plans to be employed include additional investment in solid waste disposal and development of a solid waste management policy.
The County Government will also seek to partner with competent organizations in modernizing the Dandora dumpsite in order to employ appropriate technology that will add value to waste collected daily.
Reports indicate about 2,400 tonnes of solid waste is generated daily in the city, but only about 1,500 tonnes is collected and deposited in Dandora.
The county also recommends behavioural change programmes for residents in order to inculcate the 4Rs (Reduction, Reuse, Recycle and Recover) plan which will be key in addressing waste management sustainability.
In December last year, Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko pledged to prioritize infrastructure development in the 17 sub-counties in the next financial year.
He pointed out that with the digitization of revenue streams at City Hall, his administration will this year prioritize infrastructure development and solid waste management.
However, in February, it was revealed that Nairobi is drowning in garbage because 17 out of 28 contractors have stopped working over a Sh600 million debt.
Only 29 out of 62 county garbage trucks are operational, with the rest are grounded after they broke down due to bad roads, especially those leading to the Dandora dumpsite.
Acting Environment Chief Officer Isaac Muraya who had appeared before the Public Accounts Committee revealed that the county has been experiencing financial challenges because the money collected by the County Government and that which is received from the national government is not enough to cater for solid waste management.
Back in 1996, the county’s only legal dumpsite ( Dandora) was declared full, but still continues to receive waste from across the city after several attempts to relocate it to Ruai failed.
Last Month, the County Government obtained the title deed for Dandora dumpsite which gave new hope for the revival of Sh28 billion power plant at the dumpsite.
A German investor – Sustainable Environment Management UG – withdrew from the project in 2016 for lack of a title for the 30-acre waste yard.
The firm had been contracted by former Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero’s administration through a public-private partnership to manage the waste after several attempts to relocate the site failed.
