Nairobi Chief Officer for Citizen Engagement and Customer Service, Geoffrey Mosiria, has called for the license revocation of private waste service providers who have begun dumping waste in illegal dumping sites that were closed.
In a statement on Sunday, December 8, Mosiria said that after he transitioned from the environment department, complaints began emerging that some private waste providers had started dumping waste at those sites.
Mosiria claims that the owners of these businesses are deploying goons to attack county officers who try to take action against them.
"We came here to close these sites, but the goons tried to attack the officers and are trying to resist. I know youths are just trying to earn a living, and you should do that by applying for jobs like Climate Works, which will help in cleaning the River Nairobi," Mosiria said.
"The goons that are trying to resist, we want to tell you that we do not fear you; you will be arrested and taken to court because we are not living here until we close this illegal dumping," he added.
Mosiria said that despite numerous notices for the environmental department, these providers remain defiant.
Mosiria said that he will work with the Nairobi Environment Department to ensure that legal action is taken against the owners of the companies that have begun dumping waste in the dumpsites.
"I personally visited the site to confirm the report, and indeed, the dumping has started again. The area is heavily polluted, and the air quality alone is unsafe for human breathing," Mosiria said.
"I will be taking this matter up with the Environment team for immediate action to have the site closed permanently. I will also follow up on the cancellation of licenses for the private waste service providers involved, who are illegally dumping garbage at this site," he added.
Mosiria further noted that the county government of Nairobi is willing to construct a Material Recovery Facility for these businesses, which will be an alternative to the dumping sites if the companies guarantee compliance.
"While in office, we had proposed a proper solution to help these groups establish a well-organized Material Recovery Facility, where they can earn decently without polluting the environment. That offer for structured support and full compliance still stands," he said.
Furthermore, the chief officer called for the crackdown against individuals who are selling reused carrier bags, which were washed with sewage water.
Noted that such acts are endangering the health of unsuspecting Nairobi residents. Mosiria said that these carrier bags are being sold in major markets such as Gikomba.
"Today, I encountered something that left me deeply shaken. I found a man washing used carrier bags right next to the Nairobi River using filthy sewer water. When I approached him, he calmly told me that he had orders from Gikomba and that he is paid just KSh 200 for the job," he said.
Mosiria said that manufacturers of carrier bags should ensure that they engineer safe collection, recycling, and disposal systems to put an end to the act.
