Here is Sonko’s new strategy to tackle Nairobi’s garbage problem
Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has said his administration is in the process of acquiring 25 new modern garbage wagons to help in garbage collection in the county.
Governor Sonko said, the wagons which are currently being assembled locally with the help of foreign experts, would be deployed in all the 17 constituencies across the county to help in cleaning the city.
“We have involved foreign experts in acquisition of these new trucks. We are still in negotiations with them,” Sonko said on Thursday.
The City Hall boss said that the county has been running a 24-hour garbage collection operation and unclogging of drainage system in major areas in the county, an operation which has drastically reduced the level of uncollected garbage across the 17 sub-counties.
The garbage collection exercise has seen piles of garbage cleared in several estates and wards including City Primary, Embakasi, Langata Road, Taj Mall, Capitol Hill and Kilimani.
Others are St Mary’s Mission Hospital in Langata, Kitanga Road in Kwangware, St Veronica, Uhuru Market, Umoja Estate and Majengo.
GARBAGE COLLECTION
As a short-term measure, Sonko said, the county will construct temporary garbage collection points across the wards and place garbage skips in strategic collection points within the CBD and dust bins in all major estates but plans are underway for long-term measure for sustainable waste reduction, recycling and collection services.
“The ward collection points will be built using iron sheets painted in county colours and logo, the decorated structure will have a slab floor fixed and a gate. This will ensure Nairobians have an easy access to dumping points,” said Sonko.
At the same time, Sonko said they have plans to launch a state-of-the-art garbage recycling plant at Dandora dumpsite aimed at dealing with the issue of waste management in the capital city which has often been blamed on county staff colluding with cartels to undermine strategies in cleaning the city.
“The next big project will be the launching of waste recycling plant at the Dandora dumpsite which is in discussion. Once complete, the recycling plant shall permanently address the garbage dumping challenges as well as job creation for some our youths,” said Sonko.
This comes a little over three weeks since City Hall launched garbage containers in Nairobi CBD, estates and at ward level which saw over 50 garbage containers distributed and to be managed by youth groups and the county staff.
The Nairobi Governor said the temporary dumping point shall be emptied on daily basis besides partnering with both local and international investors to put up a number of garbage recycling plants.