Businesses to blame for illegal dumping of garbage, says Sonko

Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko. He has said businesses in Nairobi are to blame for illegal dumping of waste in the Central Business District. PHOTO | PAUL WAWERU | NATION MEDIA GROUP

Businesses in Nairobi are to blame for illegal dumping of waste in the Central Business District, Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has said.
Mr Sonko singled out hotels, saying they were notorious for unlawful disposal of waste.

“They pay street children to pick up garbage from the backdoors of hotels at night and dump it in the lanes...” Mr Sonko said in a tweet on Tuesday.

The governor added: “I have authorised my inspectorate department to arrest anyone doing illegal dumping, starting tonight”.

He said all residents have a responsibility to ensure the city is clean. The governor provided a mobile number that residents can call to report acts of unauthorised dumping.

MANIFESTO

“If you spot any illegal dumping near your place of work, kindly inform me through 0722886600,” he tweeted.

Garbage collection and restoration of the city’s glory were the main highlights of Mr Sonko’s election manifesto.

During his election campaign, Mr Sonko pledged to engage with community-based organisations “to introduce better garbage management systems” with the hope of ridding Nairobi of garbage, a menace that has persisted for decades.

Mr Sonko also promised to work with development partners to establish a recycling system and an energy generation plant at Dandora dumpsite.

While his administration started with notable aplomb, hiring various agencies to collect garbage, the energy seems to have fizzled out three months into his five-year term.

Nairobi has a daily output of more than 2,000 tonnes of waste. Limited waste collection ability and lack of proper disposal are some factors blamed for the mounting garbage.

Waste collection is done mainly by cartels, who make a thriving enterprise aided by complacency of city authorities or collusion.