• A 2010 Japan International Cooperation Agency survey showed Dandora dumpsite was over three times full.
• MPs accuse the Nairobi county government of neglecting the dumpsite.
Image: / FILE
The national government has been asked to take over the management of the Dandora dumpsite if the county government is not up to the task.
Embakasi North MP Mwangi Gakuya said on Sunday issues of solid waste management are not taken seriously. He said if the county government is unable to manage the facility, then the national government should take over.
"To manage the dumpsite, all that is needed is just approval by the county, but it appears that it will never come to pass," he said.
His Gatundu South counterpart Moses Kuria accused the Nairobi county government of neglecting the dumpsite and turning it into a 'cash cow'.
"The dumpsite has been converted to a shop where every regime that comes to leadership focuses on the business aspect that the dumpsite can offer. The current regime under Governor Mike Sonko pledged to work on the dumpsite, but nothing has changed," Kuria said.
The legislators, who sit on the National Assembly Budget Committee, also threatened to propose a budget cut for Nairobi county, specifically for solid waste management. In the 2019-20 financial year, Sh992 million was allocated for solid waste management.
Gakuya and Kuria spoke at Soul Harvesters International Church in Dandora.
Deputy President William Ruto, who was present, said it had taken too long for the county government to look for modern ways of managing the dumpsite.
“We had agreed with your governor [Sonko] that it was necessary for us to look into modern ways of addressing this dumpsite, but that has not happened,” he said.
In a notice of motion in December last year, Dandora Two MCA Silas Matara proposed that an independent agency be formed to tackle the garbage menace facing Nairobi.
He cited corruption within and beyond the county government, laziness among county staff and apathy among residents as some of the challenges facing waste management in the county. “We are appealing that this dumpsite be relocated because it’s a health hazard,” Matara said.
According to a 2010 Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) survey, the Dandora dumpsite is over three times full.
The dumpsite holds over 1.8 million tonnes of solid waste against a 500,000 tonnes capacity. More than 2,500 tonnes of waste is deposited at the site daily.
In August 2016, former Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero said a deal with German Firm EMC solution to build a Sh28 billion electricity generation plant at the dumpsite had failed as the firm did not raise the money.
In July 2018, Governor Sonko said there were plans to set up an energy recycling plant still costing Sh28 billion. He said the county was in the final stages of awarding a contract for the construction of the plant.
Since then, no contract has been awarded. The plant was to convert the waste into 160MW clean and renewable energy per day.
In August last year, there were reports that the waste-to-energy recycling plant could take longer to be set up.
Environment executive Larry Wambua on Wednesday told the Star that the county will have to re-tender for a recycling plant.
"The expression of interest was non-responsive and as a county, we have to re-tender," he said.
In October 2019, City Hall said it intended to convert the Dandora dumpsite into a recreational park after it is decommissioned. This is one of the highlights of the County Annual Development Plan 2020-21.
Still in October 2019, City Hall announced the signing of a deal with Denmark's Environment Protection Agency and the 2030 Water Resources Group to manage waste.
Danish Head of Division at the Environment Protection Agency Annette Samuelsen said Denmark was willing to work with Nairobi in implementing modern solid water management systems and dealing with industrial waste. Nothing has been heard of the deal.