A non-governmental Organisation (NGO), Rural to Global Organisation, organised clean-up activities in Kakamega town while creating awareness among residents to maintain cleanliness in their spaces.
The NGO’s Programme Manager Catherine Osita said they are involving girls to champion for cleanliness of the environment by planting trees, taking care of the rivers among other activities in marking World Cleanup day 2022.
She observed that since girls are among those affected by climate change, the organisation through their theme ‘Let us do it together’ is engaging them to protect the environment for themselves and other people.
“We have made steps to ensure we maintain cleanliness in the town. We shall work closely with the county government in taking care of the environment by engaging with them on how we can be involved in ensuring the county remains clean,” she noted.
A Young Environmental Champion, Linet Kamadi urged the Kakamega County government to embrace environmental action as a key policy issue.
The cleanup activity exercise brought together Rural to Global Organisation, Life-straw, St Johns Ambulance, Paint a Smile and the County Government of Kakamega Officials from the Department of Environment.
The Manager in Charge of Cleaning Services under Western Cross Company Limited in Kakamega town, Hudson Kisanga said they have put in place measures to ensure the town remains clean at all times.
He noted that they collect 210 tons of waste from Kakamega town daily which they dump at the Rostaman Dumpsite located six kilometers away.
He said they collect a lot of waste from the four main markets in Kakamega town and especially during Saturday and Tuesday every week when traders receive their luggage from different places.
Kisanga however advised residents to minimise illegal dumping of waste and instead use dustbins where the waste can easily be collected.
After being collected from different dumping sites, the waste from Kakamega town is dumped at a receptacle or a holding Centre located at Kakamega bus park.
The waste stays there for a maximum of eight hours before it is collected by skip bins to be transported to Rostaman dumpsite.
However, traders operating at the bus park have complained that the county government delays in collecting the waste from the holding Centre hence posing a risk to their health.
One of the traders, Christopher Kanga urged the county government to relocate the holding Centre to another site away from the bus park.
He said they have complained for a long period but the concerned authorities have not taken any step to address the situation.
Kanga noted that a foul smell emanates from the site due to accumulation of waste and stagnant water.
By Moses Wekesa and Rose Adelaide
