NMS to shut over 80 illegal city dumpsites

More than 80 illegal dumpsites in the city will be closed down as Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) goes after garbage cartels in the capital.

NMS Director-General Mohamed Badi said that since coming into office in March, his administration had identified 110 such illegal dumping areas and cleared 82 of solid waste with enforcement for closure ongoing.

The move follows a directive by President Uhuru Kenyatta to NMS to crack down on all illegal dumpsites in the capital as well as gazette legal solid waste dumpsites for both public and private solid waste collectors.

The NMS boss said they were in the process of designating 35 official solid waste collection points. The National Youth Service was contracted by NMS to help in garbage collection across the 85 wards in the county.

Nairobi’s main dumpsite in Dandora is over three times full, holding more than 1.8 million tonnes of solid waste against its 500,000 tonnes capacity.

Unlicensed garbage collection business in Nairobi is a multibillion-shilling industry controlled by cartels who include elected leaders. The cartels have formed parallel illegal dumping sites across the county where they dispose solid waste after collecting them from residents who pay for their services.