Waste management companies paid different rates at City Hall

An irregularity has been discovered at City Hall after it emerged that garbage collecting companies are paid different amounts for delivering the same services.

This was revealed during an assembly watchdog committee meeting on Thursday after it was discovered that Hardi Enterprise, one of the eight contracted firms by City Hall, is owed Sh22.6 million for provision of heavy equipment and machinery in July.

Interestingly, another firm, Purlexis Limited, is owed Sh2.2 million despite providing similar services as Hardi Enterprise.

“How can one company in the month of August be paid Sh664, 000 and another in the same month is paid Sh27 million yet they are both providing heavy machinery?” posed Kilimani MCA Moses Ogeto, the vice chair of the Assembly Public Accounts committee.

However, Environment chief officer David Makori defended the inconsistencies in invoices by the firms, saying some have deployed several trucks and may have worked for long hours than others.

“What it means is that Hardi worked using several machines and more hours than the other company while the other probably worked with one machine and specific hours but the rate at which machines are being paid is the same,” Makori said Thursday.

Makori added that the some firms could be assigned more sub-counties than others based on their capacities.

City Hall currently has only nine contractors that serve the entire county which operate on rotations by being assigned different wards on different days.

But it emerged that the county owes eight firms out of the nine it has contracted, a total of Sh227 million for garbage collection for three months.

This comes after Environment committee on Wednesday blamed the reluctance by the county to renew contracts for garbage contractors in the city for the piling of solid waste in the county.

Nairobi County is yet to renew contracts of 30 companies even though their contracts expired in September.

Members of the committee also queried why the county had not renewed or contracted new firms yet the money had been budgeted for.

“If operations were going on swiftly, the committee would have no issue with your department but as of now there are numerous complains of increased garbage especially at the wards,” said Peter Imwatok.

However, Environment executive Larry Wambua defended the move saying that the nine contractors have done a good job compared to the numerous firms that they had before.

“Even though we have numerous contractors on ground, they do not do anything. Our nine county contractors have done a tremendous job and this has proven that we do not need to work with too many but a small number that can deliver,” said Mr Wambua.