Nairobi County Chief Officer for Environment, Geoffrey Mosiria, has closed down a motor vehicle garage in Runda Estate and has threatened to arrest anyone found operating on the premises from tomorrow.
The closure of the garage followed recurrent complaints from neighbours within the estate due to excessive noise being emitted from the premises. Runda is considered one of the most affluent areas of the city.
Mosiria, in a statement on Thursday, August 7, claimed that he would deploy security officers to the area, who would conduct surveillance at the premises to prevent operations and bar anyone from entering the garage.
"I will deploy security officers who will survey these premises, and if operations continue tomorrow, we shall arrest and prosecute anyone who is found here. Every worker should carry all their belongings at home, and we will ensure that we close that gate completely," Mosiria said.
According to Mosiria, despite the county government issuing multiple warning notices to the garage, no action was taken by the management.
"Today we responded to complaints from residents in Runda about a motor vehicle garage that has been operating in the area and emitting excessive noise, disturbing the neighbourhood," Mosiria stated.
"We had previously issued a notice to the management, which they have not complied with. As a result, today we issued them with a notice to stop all operations immediately. Failure to comply will lead to arrests if they are found continuing operations," he added.
The announcement comes at a time when the county government has intensified its crackdown on environmental polluters in a bid to restore and elevate the city's ambiance and environmental fitness.
In a statement on Sunday, July 20, Mosiria said that they would launch a crackdown in Eastleigh and Pipeline, targeting tenants, landlords, and caretakers who condone poor waste management within their premises by failing to utilise and pay for waste management systems provided by the county government.
Once arrested, according to Mosiria, tenants and landlords in these estates will also be required to use their own money to clean their premises and transport the waste to designated dumping areas.
Mosiria claimed that the failure of these individuals to pay for waste management services has crippled the county government's ability to provide such services and to pay private contractors who assist the county in managing waste.
"The responsibility of the county government is to clean the main corridors and to ensure that the roads and the city in general are clean. But it is your responsibility to ensure that all the waste that you generate in the house is taken to the Dandora dumping site, which is the final disposal point," Mosiria said.
"If they don't pay for these services, how do you expect us to provide them? Because we need to repair and service our vehicles, and still pay people who are responsible for the services," he added.
