City Hall has signed a one-year contract with the National Youth Service to help in garbage collection across Nairobi.
Environment executive Larry Wambua on Monday said the deal was signed last week after a government-to-government contractual agreement.
The contract is renewable. Wambua said NYS should start collecting garbage later this week.
“We should start the programme early this week and NYS will be undertaking garbage collection in areas that have recently been neglected by sabotaging contractors," Wambua said.
The youth agency will first move into five zones which had no garbage contractors. They include Roysambu, Kamkunji, Makadara, Embakasi East and Ruaraka.
Wambua said City Hall will still contract garbage collectors to assist in areas a lot of waste is produced.
"This year, there will be a significant improvement in garbage collection. We are prepared to deal with the menace and restore Nairobi lost glory," Wambua said.
NYS will also rehabilitate roads that have been dilapidated. Wambua said the agency was chosen because government-to-government contracts do not undergo the lengthy procurement process given the urgency to fix the roads.
He said it will be cheaper and fast.
"NYS has demonstrated capacity to undertake these tasks," he said.
Last month, Governor Mike Sonko said a number of roads were in a deplorable state after heavy rains. Sonko attributed the piling up of garbage across the city to sabotage by contracted collectors.
“Over the last two months that I have been out of office, there has been deliberate sabotage in garbage collection leading to unnecessary pile up of uncollected refuse across the city,” Sonko said.
To address the matter, Sonko met NYS management council chairman Gen (Rtd) Njuki Mwaniki and initiated the contract talks.
The governor, on January 24, instructed acting county secretary Leboo Morintat to write to NYS Director-General Matilda Sakwa asking for a partnership in rehabilitation and repair of roads and garbage collection.
The two parties held a meeting at City hall on February 4 where the deal was signed.
edited by p. obuya
