Mombasa County Government has to date managed to shut down 17 out of 32 illegal dumping sites across the coastal city.
The move is aimed to clean the port city that has for decades been grappling with the issue of illegal dumping of trash.
Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir, immediately after being sworn in to office in September, announced a 100-day Rapid Response Initiative (RRI) aimed at getting rid of the city’s waste and closure of all illegal landfills.
Governor Nassir also announced that the county was going to float an international expression of interest in the management of waste in the county.
The county chief says advancing sustainable solid waste management and setting up more recycling collection centres is a priority for his administration.
“Improving waste management leads to better quality of life,” said Nassir, adding that the devolved unit would be closing and rehabilitating a number of landfills in the region.
Mombasa County Chief officer in the Department of Environment, Waste Management and Energy Ahmed Abdalla said that they were currently in site number 17 that is around Fahari primary school in Tudor Ward which they hoped would be cleared of rubbish by next week.
He was speaking at Kuze area Old Town ward during the launch of the ‘Old Town Fresh’, a clean-up initiative by the area Member of County Assembly (MCA) Abdulrahman Hussein.
“We are doing our level best to make sure that before the 100 days elapse, all the illegal dumpsites, 32 of them in total, are completely removed. So far we are currently at site number 17,” said Abdalla.
Abdalla alluded to the fact that since the initiative began, the city especially around the Central Business District (CBD) area has relatively remained clean compared to previous years.
He said that the county had stationed trucks across collection points identified by the county where waste collectors bring their garbage and load them onto the trucks to be taken to Mwakirunge dumpsite in Kisauni Sub County.
The county official added that they had deployed enforcement officers across the CBD and in all shut illegal landfills to ensure that no illegal dumping takes place.
Abdalla said many of the big waste dumping grounds in the seaside city were now sealed and that night squads and neighbourhood watch groups were started to dissuade the people from throwing waste in public places.
“We have so far arrested about 50 people in connection to illegal dumping. The law is very clear, you either pay a fine of Sh20, 000 or go to jail for six months,” he said.
The Environment Chief Officer said that the county was working towards engaging the community and sensitizing them on the existing laws and the importance of keeping their environment clean.
He said in 2019, the county placed waste bins within the CBD and other strategic areas but they were all vandalized.
Abdalla however said that all hope is not lost adding that they were contemplating returning them because currently, there is no place to throw waste while within the CBD.
Old Town MCA Abdulrahman Hussein said that he came up with the ‘Old Town Fresh’ clean-up exercise to sensitize the community to keep their environment clean and to also instill and encourage volunteerism especially among the youth to community initiatives.
“This is an exercise we shall be carrying out every first Saturday of the month. The exercise is in line with the agenda and manifesto of our governor who has vowed to keep the city clean, that’s why we have decided to support the course by involving the community,” said Hussein.
Joining the exercise was Equity Bank Digo Road branch led by their branch manager Geoffrey Wanyonyi who called on the need to embrace recycling and reduce waste.
“We have joined the exercise because we are part of this community, as a bank, we are very much concerned about our environment because having a clean environment means that we shall be able to serve our clients well,” said Wanyonyi.
The bank donated cleaning equipment used for the exercise promising to continue to take part in the initiative.
Residents of Kuze area in Old Town led by Abdul Mzee and Mohamed Sharif commended the area MCA and Equity Bank for partnering with the community to introduce the monthly environment clean-up exercise in Old Town.
They also called on the county government to repair the badly potholed roads in the area and repair faulty street security lights to curb crime.
By Hussein Abdullahi
