The United Kingdom-based non-governmental Organisation, Practical Action, is offering select Kisumu residents a grant amounting to Ksh31 million ($230,000) to stop burning garbage.
The organisation, in a press statement, explained that the funds will be used to stop the open burning of solid waste.
It argued that the practice, which is becoming a menace globally, has catastrophic effects on human health and the environment.
The project, as a result, is expected to improve waste management in Kisumu County which generates up to 252 tons of solid waste daily.
Practical Action explained that the waste is mainly disposed of by open dumping and burning on the streets and at dumpsites that pose environmental threats and health hazards.
Lucy Stevens, Practical Action’s Head of Urban Services, revealed that open burning of waste is a serious problem that affects the respiratory health of low-income families.
“We have seen its impacts at local levels in our work with urban low-income communities. Finding lasting solutions requires action at multiple levels which is why this global collaboration is so important," she explained.
“Together with our partners, we will develop and test practical solutions, while also being part of regional and global consultations to improve guidance for countries and encourage more finance to flow to this neglected issue."
She further noted that health implications on humans were alarming and included respiratory infections, immune disorders, reproductive abnormalities, and premature death.
In Kisumu, the project is expected to reduce open burning of waste hence reducing greenhouse gas emissions, provide practical solutions on waste management and equip relevant bodies with tools and information to implement strategies that reduce toxic emissions.
The project is part of the Ksh180 million global project to reduce waste burning across three continents, Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
The project is financed by the United Nations Environment Programme's Climate and Clean Air Coalition and has a consortium of five companies executing the mission.
Kenya has appeared on lists of countries with dangerous dumping sites with Dandora dumpsite in Nairobi producing the most smoke.
