This archive report was first published on 3 July 2020.
On July 3, 2020, the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) announced a bold move to shut down 80 illegal dumpsites in Nairobi County.
The proliferation of these sites has been a major concern, as they pose significant environmental and health risks to the public.
According to the UN-Habitat, open dumpsites are a major source of greenhouse gases, and the pollution risks are expected to worsen with rapid urbanisation.
The NMS has taken a crucial step in regulating dumpsites, with the aim of keeping their number to a minimum and ensuring they are managed properly.
As part of this effort, the NMS has designated 35 official solid waste collection points and contracted the National Youth Service to help with garbage collection across the 85 wards in the county.
The move follows a directive by President Uhuru Kenyatta to NMS to crack down on all illegal dumpsites in the capital and gazette legal solid waste dumpsites for both public and private collectors.
Nairobi's main dumpsite in Dandora is more than three times full, holding over 1.8 million tonnes of solid waste against its 500,000-tonne capacity.
