Relocation work at Kisumu’s Kachok dumpsite resumed on Tuesday, November 20, 2018, after months of delay, with the county saying the long-stalled cleanup is back on track.
The second phase of the project is being handled by Naya Holdings Limited at a cost of Sh200 million, according to city manager Doris Ombara. Officials say the exercise is meant to clear at least six acres of solid waste that has long choked the lakeside city.
Kachok has for years been associated with a foul smell and an ugly landscape, making it one of Kisumu’s most visible environmental headaches. Governor Peter Anyang Nyong’o said in his state of the county address the previous week that the relocation was progressing and would continue for several more days.
The work had previously stalled after it began in mid-November the year before, when four Kajulu residents in Kisumu East went to court twice in an effort to stop the move. The county has maintained that the quarry site was acquired through proper procedure and that public participation was carried out.
At the site, Ombara and Nyong’o expressed confidence that all the waste would eventually be transferred to Kajulu. Ombara said the county had checked wells in Kajulu to confirm there was no seepage and later received a licence from the National Environmental Management Authority (Nema).
She added that Phase I had already cleared 2.45 acres, where the county established a botanical garden. The area has since been fenced and trees planted in the reclaimed space.
