Nairobi County has stepped up efforts to curb unlawful waste disposal, with manufacturers in the city being put on high alert on Sunday, April 27.
The county's Chief Officer for Environment, Geoffrey Mosiria, has issued a stern warning to manufacturers in the city, vowing to close down industries involved in the unlawful dumping of waste products.
In a scathing statement on Sunday, Mosiria noted a growing trend of industries turning sections of areas in the city into dumping sites, insisting that the only recognised site in Nairobi was the Dandora dumping site.
He specifically called out the Kenya Manufacturers Association (KMA) for their role in contributing to the growing problem of waste disposal in the city.
"We closed Likoni Road, but a majority of waste comes from your industries. For now, I want to say this. We are coming for you, and we will take action against you," the Chief Officer for Environment said.
The warning comes after a series of crackdowns, which have seen several Private Service Providers (PSPs) in the waste management sector caught in the act disposing of waste in undesignated areas.
Mosiria noted that some unscrupulous providers resorted to disposing of their waste at night to avoid detection - a trend which he says the Nairobi county government would curb.
Another tactic deployed by PSPs, according to Mosiria, was establishing unauthorised dumpsites in residential areas under the guise of sorting or recycling – something he said his government would not tolerate.
"We will also be patrolling in the nighttime and you will be arrested if we catch you," he added. "If I find your car in those illegal dumping sites, you will be arrested and your licence revoked. You will never trade in the waste industry again."
The chief environment officer's operation has not been without controversy, as a section of critics online have called him out for allegedly interfering with operations in the waste management industry.
But in a rejoinder, Mosiria vowed not to relent, insisting that the goal of the county’s enforcement was to create a cleaner and healthier environment for all Nairobi residents.
He pleaded, "Before you condemn, take time to understand why we are doing this. You are welcome to join us during our operations and witness firsthand the suffering endured by residents of these areas."
