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County buys 35 new garbage trucks


Nairobi’s garbage menace may soon be a thing of the past as the county prepares to deploy 25 new collection trucks.

The trucks are expected to be delivered at the beginning of next month.

They will include 19 side loaders to be distributed among the 17 sub-counties while six tipper trucks, loaded with tractor shovels will be used in garbage prone areas like markets and slums.

The county has also hired a private firm to manage street sweeping and garbage collection services in the Central Business District. It is expected to take over the services in March.

According to county director for Environment Leah Oyake-Ombis, these are the initial steps towards collection of Nairobi’s 2,000 tonnes of garbage per day. Currently, only 850 tonnes is collected daily.

Also on the cards is a contract for improving sanitation in Kangemi, Kileleshwa and Kilimani areas starting in July.

“We want to delineate the areas and give an independent waste collection company or a joint venture, the monopoly to collect waste, sweep streets and charge the residents,” said Mrs Oyake-Ombis.

Although there are no immediate plans to move the Dandora dump site, the county has entered into an agreement with German investors and could set up a Sh28 billion power plant utilising 1000 tonnes of garbage per day at the site.

No specific time line has been given for the project that would inject 70 megawatts into the national grid.

Garbage collection remains one of the benchmarks that Nairobi residents use to evaluate the city’s administration efficiency and service delivery.

Most estates that cannot afford private garbage collection services have been forced to live with waste.