Nairobi County Chief Environment Officer Geoffrey Mosiria has threatened to apprehend both tenants and landlords engaged in dumping waste against the law.
In a statement on Sunday, Mosiria revealed that his team would be resuming a cleaning exercise in the Pipeline estate that will also include road rehabilitation.
He further added that those who have defied warnings against unlawful dumping of waste, including tenants and landlords, would risk being apprehended during the crackdown.
This, Mosiria said, was because they had turned a blind eye to the dumping, and apprehending them was seemingly the only way to drive the point home.
"This coming week, we shall resume the cleaning exercise along the roads in the Pipeline area, including backfilling sections of the road that were damaged due to wastewater discharge and unlawfully dumping of garbage by residents," Mosiria stated.
"Despite previous warnings, some tenants continue to dispose of waste unlawfully, with landlords turning a blind eye. Moving forward, we shall apprehend both tenants and landlords found responsible for unlawfully dumping. This is the only way to restore order, uphold the law, and ensure our city remains clean and livable for all."
After continued criticism by Nairobi residents challenging him to venture his clean Nairobi mission in congested estates like Pipeline, Mosiria visited the estate on July 16.
During the impromptu meeting in a section of the estate, he announced plans to apprehend culprits who fail to comply with waste management laws.
“We will begin an operation to apprehend landlords and caretakers of all the buildings around here, as well as tenants living in the nearby houses. They are the ones polluting and dumping waste on the road,” Mosiria said.
He cited the Nairobi City County Solid Waste Management Act of 2015, which places responsibility for cleanliness within a 10-metre radius of any property on the premises owner.
“It’s unfortunate that many landlords in Pipeline do not pay for garbage collection services. As a result, their tenants, lacking proper waste disposal options, are forced to dispose of household waste directly onto the roads, posing serious health and environmental risks,” he added.
He further advised property owners in the estate to contract Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) or private service providers to collect garbage and deliver it to the Dandora dumpsite instead of letting tenants dump it anywhere.
