He directed the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and the Nairobi County Government to deal with those polluting the river
Environment Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale on Thursday, October 10 turned his attention to garbage collection companies contracted by the Nairobi County government, accusing them of illegal dumping practices which end up polluting the Nairobi River.
Speaking at the Nairobi Arboretum while leading Kenyans in marking Mazingira Day, the vocal minister affirmed the government’s commitment to holding the waste collectors to account, especially those blamed for polluting the river through illegal waste disposals.
He thus directed the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and the Nairobi County Government to deal with those polluting the river and ensure that there will be no more dumping of garbage inside the Nairobi water stream.
Duale also tasked the authority to trace waste from its source to its final dumping site, saying “We are going to put to question those garbage collecting companies procured by Nairobi City County.”
Environment CS Aden Duale, on October 10, 2024, inspects a section of the Nairobi River that passes through the Nairobi Arboretum. /ADEN DUALE
“Governor Sakaja is on board, and we will demand answers from these companies on where they are dumping the waste they collect. As it stands, much of it ends up in Nairobi River, and that will not be the case going forward,” he affirmed.
The Environment CS also pointed an accusing finger at privately contracted garbage collectors, urging them to disclose their disposal methods, stating “We will not allow all the waste from Nairobi to be dumped in the river.”
Duale also fingered key industries, apartment buildings, and public institutions as major polluters of the Nairobi River. In focus are the Athi Water and Sewerage Company and the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company, companies he deemed as large-scale polluters due to untreated sewage being channelled directly into the river.
As a result, Duale vowed that the government would take stern measures against them. “The sewage line is in the middle of the river. Athi Water and Sewerage Company, alongside industries and apartments, must be held accountable for draining sewage into Nairobi River,” he said.
Adding “We have no choice. We must go after them, we must shame them, and we must act to clean up Nairobi River.”
His directive puts at least 101 polluters in the capital city at risk of being shut down for polluting the Nairobi River. Last week, during his appearance before the National Assembly, the CS revealed that the polluters identified by NEMA include industries, factories, apartments, and abattoirs, accused of discharging effluents to the rivers.
At the same time, Duale noted that most households within Nairobi City lacked sewer tanks, a factor that he claimed immensely contributed to the pollution of the Nairobi River.
“In the next 15 months, Nairobi River should be a river and not sewage, we have put on notice, the polluters of Nairobi River including Industries, factories, slaughterhouses, and those who collect garbage,” Duale stated.
In addition, the CS appealed to all Kenyans to be collectively responsibility for protecting the environment, praising the efforts of the youth involved in the Climate WorX initiative and other partners such as the Kenya Forest Service, for their commitment to environmental restoration.
