Kajiado: Human settlements, especially in urban centers and cities, generate an estimated 2.3 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste every year, according to the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), and it is projected to hit 3.8 billion tonnes by 2050. This surge in waste is driving pollution, biodiversity loss, and fueling climate change on a planetary scale.
According to Kenya News Agency, despite Kenya’s ban on the use of plastic bags, like most other countries in the world, it faces significant environmental pollution stemming from improper solid waste management. Urban areas like Kajiado struggle with illegal dumping of waste and overflow of the designated dumpsites. Over the past few years, the Kajiado dumpsite has been a point of contention between the Kajiado Municipality and the residents, with complaints ranging from careless dumping of solid waste to the variety of health risks it poses to the surrounding community.
In a bid to improve solid waste management within its jurisdiction and curb environmental pollution, the Municipality of Kajiado organized a citizen forum with the neighbourhood associations, landlords, and zonal representatives to sensitize them on effective methods of solid waste management and their key roles in bringing the community on board. Speaking at the forum, Municipality Manager James Saruni ole Tono echoed the Municipality’s effort in solid waste management through laws established under the Kajiado Municipality Solid Waste Management Policy. This policy enables them to improve waste collection, transportation, disposal, and create awareness within the community.
The Manager revealed that the Kajiado Dumpsite is currently undergoing rehabilitation to elevate it into a state-of-the-art material recovery facility through the introduction of strategic waste placement in areas known as cells, which are accessible through internal feeder roads to ease and manage incoming waste. The placement of a razor wire fence around the facility to control and limit access, as well as capture windblown litter, and a green buffer around the facility to absorb fumes are part of the proposed changes at the facility.
The Director of the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) Kajiado County, Mark Angwenyi, advocated for the use of color-coded waste bins as gazetted to ensure proper sorting of solid waste at the material recovery facility. Angwenyi urged landlords to provide such solid waste sorting to encourage tenants to participate in appropriate disposal.
Kajiado Central Public Health Officer, Ruth Parsimei, urged zonal representatives, landlords, and neighbourhood associations to proactively encourage the fencing of residential plots of land, citing unfenced plots as major hot spots for careless disposal of solid waste. She emphasized that material recovery facilities should only accommodate non-hazardous waste material to avoid leachate leaking into water sources and eventually foods, causing health complications.
Japheth Kiilu, a resident of Saina Estate, appealed to the Municipality to train and sensitize garbage collectors on proper waste disposal methods, adding that confusion and conflict often arise from inconsistent practices. Kiilu also raised concern over the lack of clear guidelines for disposing of used diapers and sanitary towels, attributing the problem to the absence of licensed and accessible incinerators. He called for community engagement and awareness campaigns, cautioning against the use of punitive fines without public education.