Environment and Land Court directed the Nairobi Metropolitan Service (NMS) to relocate the Dandora dumpsite within six months.
The court further gave orders to the Gen. Mohamed Badi led entity to establish a new environmentally friendly landfill within the same time frame.
Dandora dumpsite is the main dumpsite in the capital and it's reported to be three times full. It holds over 1.8 million tonnes of solid waste against a capacity of 500,000 tonnes with a daily load of 100 trucks from various parts of the city.
Gen Badi announced that NMS would commence with constructing a multi-million shilling dumpsite energy plant in Dandora in January 2021.
NMS began shutting down over 1,000 dumpsites following an order by President Uhuru Kenyatta. In June 2021, NMS Deputy Director-General Kang'ethe Thuku confirmed 35 sites had been earmarked by the state to serve as official dumping sites of waste generated around the city.
"Some 73 dumpsites have been cleared and closed, preventing further illegal disposal of garbage. NMS is still working on the rest of the remaining areas where garbage had accumulated," Thuku stated.
He further announced plans to increase daily garbage collection from 2,500 tons to 3,000 tons, adding that casual labourers had already been contacted for the purpose.
Uhuru had on March 18, 2020, directed Badi and his team to carry out a crackdown on illegal dumpsites. 100 days after the creation of the entity, Badi reported that NMS had mapped out 110 illegal dumpsites and immediately began shutting down 82 of them.
A crackdown was also launched on 122 illegal discharge points across the city. Kenyans have been complaining over a spike in illegal dumping sites that had become an eyesore with others located along highways.
Areas identified as garbage hotspots are Central Eastleigh where garbage is dumped along the median strip/reserved area separating opposing traffic lanes.
"It is an eyesore and indisputably, ticking health time bomb, a culture that remains the biggest impediment yet to a green, clean city," NMS remarked in a previous statement.
Other areas that have seen the accumulation of waste near residential areas are in Kariobangi North and Korogocho areas, Kawangware's Gitanga Road and Macharia road(Kwa Dada Mary), Umoja Inner core in Nairobi's Embakasi West, Shauri Moyo and Majengo in Kamukunji as well as Huruma area.
