NMS Director General Lieutenant General Mohamed Badi had earlier said lack of land for setting up waste management infrastructure to support treatment and disposal of garbage has been one of the main challenges encountered by his administration.
Nairobi generates 3,000 metric tonnes of waste in a day and most goes to the Dandora dumpsite, which has been full for years and is not sustainable
Dandora dumpsite was officially opened in 1975 with World Bank funds and 26 years later in 2001, it was considered full.
Up to date, Nairobi's garbage still ends up at Dandora despite it being full.
In a move to get rid of the dumpsite, the NMS led by Badi and Kengen signed an MoU to set up an energy plant.
The initial site of the project was Dandora Dumpsite however it was noted that it was in the aviation flight path.
"After due diligence and concerns over aviation safe flight path requirement, a decision was made to change the project site to a more suitable location," reads the statement in part.
With careful consideration and looking at several alternatives within the city of Nairobi and its environs, the joint team settled on the Ruai site.
However, in 2016, Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) opposed plans for the Ruai landfill, saying it fell within the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) flight path.
KCAA argued that the dumpsite, just 10 kilometres from the country’s main airport, would breach International Civil Aviation Authority (Icao) requirement that such a facility be at least 13 kilometres from a runway.
Icao notes that the movement of birds from a dumpsite that is near an airport can cause fatal accidents or serious damage to aircraft.
