• The UNEP officials will also make a short visit to Polyafric, a plastic recycling facility near the dumpsite.
• The tour will conclude with a visit to Gjenge Makers workshop in Nairobi, which is run by UNEP Young Champion of the Earth for Africa Nzambi Matee.
Image: FILE
Top United Nations Environment Programme officials on Saturday will tour the Dandora dumpsite on a fact-finding mission on waste recycling and disposal.
UN Environment Assembly president Espen Barth Eide and UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen will be among those who will tour the Dandora dumpsite.
"The director of environment, water and sanitation from Nairobi Metropolitan Services and the head of the Kenya Waste Recyclers Association are expected to join them," UNEP said in a statement on Friday.
"The visit will show the typical situation of waste recycling and disposal in Kenya and many developing countries and the working conditions of waste pickers."
The UNEP officials will also make a short visit to Polyafric, a plastic recycling facility near the dumpsite.
The tour will conclude with a visit to Gjenge Makers workshop in Nairobi, which is run by UNEP Young Champion of the Earth for Africa Nzambi Matee.
The 29-year-old ecopreneur has developed a prototype machine that turns discarded plastic into paving stones.
She collects waste, mainly plastic bottles, from households and institutions and upcycles it into paving and building blocks.
Matee was among seven world winners of the 2020 UN Young Champions of the Earth prize.
According to UN-Habitat, waste pickers are among the poorest in society and face extremely hazardous conditions while working in dumpsites.
The visit to the dumpsite comes a few days before Kenya hosts the fifth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA 5.2).
The session is set to be held in Gigiri between February 28 and March 2.
The conference will be hosted by the UN Environment Programme and is set to bring together representatives from 193 UN member states, businesses, civil society and other stakeholders.
More than 2,000 delegates and five heads of state are expected during the assembly.
The theme is “Strengthening Actions for Nature to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals”.
Thematic areas during the assembly include nature for climate change, human and ecosystem health, nature for poverty eradication, jobs and economic prosperity as well as sustainable food systems.
Immediately after UNEA-5.2, the assembly will hold a special session on March 3 - 4, which is devoted to the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the creation of the UN Environment Programme.
The Dandora dumpsite is the biggest formally operated dumpsite in Nairobi.
Spread over 30 acres, the dumpsite adjoins the informal settlements of Korogocho, Baba Dogo, Mathare and Dandora.
While the dumpsite was declared as having been filled up in 2001, it continues to operate and attracts poor urban residents who collect recyclable materials for sale.
A waste recycling energy plant has been proposed by authorities. The Sh28 billion Dandora waste-to-energy recycling plant was supposed to produce 160MW per day
It is set to help the country transition from a linear waste management model to a circular approach.
The Kenya Electricity Generating Company will finance, develop and operate the power plant while the Nairobi Metropolitan Services will avail land for its construction.
Energy will be generated from the huge heap of waste at the dumpsite.
The construction of the plant comes against the backdrop of a court order in July 2021 that urged NMS to relocate the Dandora dumpsite within six months.
The order was given by Environment and Land Court judge Kossy Bor who said NMS should establish a new environment-friendly dumpsite within the given timelines.
Isaiah Odando and Wilson Yatta sued on behalf of the Ufanisi Centre in Korogocho.
They said the Dandora dumpsite is filled with smoke from burning plastic waste that releases toxic and carcinogenic gases into the atmosphere
They had sued NMS, Nema, Environment CS and Nairobi, Machakos, Kiambu, Kilifi, Makueni and Tana River counties.
The petitioners accused NMS and Nema of violating their rights and also sought orders to stop pollution of the Nairobi and Athi rivers.
“NMS is directed to take steps to decommission the Dandora dumpsite and relocate it to another site within six months of the date of this judgment,” the court ordered.