Besides the missing link, we must ask how the various studies have added value to the question of waste management. In 1998, The City Council of Nairobi together with Japan International Corporation Agency( I hope I got it right!) did a Solid Waste Management Master-Plan. In 2010, they reviewed the same!! It is still awaiting implementation.
In 2006, UNEP together with University of Nairobi,The Kenyatta National Hospital and The Nairobi City Council-CCN
did a study on the amount of metals in the blood of residents around
Dandora landfill. They found the levels to be very high!! I do not know
what they did with the findings.
Just last month, September 2012, Concern Worldwide released a report on the Dandora dump-site, Trash and Tragedy;
it found out the same things, rise of diseases especially respiratory
complications, cancers, high level of lead and other metals in bodies of
especially children. It recommends the way forward which includes what a
new study that UNEP wants to begin are contained!!
UNEP( Standard report, 1st October 2012) quoting Mr. Henry Ndede, Unep Kenya Country Programe Coordinator wants to conduct a study, together with the City Council of Nairobi and the University of Nairobi
on the levels of methane emanating from Dandora landfill to decide on
whether it can be used to produce electricity. Dandora has been around
for 42 years, occupies a 30 acre piece of land and receives about 3000
tons of waste everyday!
Mr. Ndede further suggests that UNEP wishes to create platforms for stakeholders to come on board and identify the
problem and discuss solutions on waste management. Incidentally, Mr. Ndede sent a nominee to attend the 1st and 2nd Consultative Forums on Waste Management hosted by The Clean Kenya Campaign-TCKC working in partnership with The
Public Service Transformation Department at the Office of The Prime
Minister, A Better World/SOF-DI and Akiba Uhaki Foundation among
many other public and private partners. His nominee was a key speaker during the
1st Forum! These were on 11th July and 28th August 2012 respectively.
The suggestions that came from these forums is coming up with Practical
Steps on separation and converting waste into products as mitigating
measure besides training waste collectors in conversion processes.
Unless
some folks want to make Dandora and Korogocho residents guinea pigs for
studies, I trust and believe that it is time we begun implementing the
recommendations of previous reports. It is also noteworthy that these
studies being conducted in partnership with The City Council of Nairobi
whose mandate it is to make Nairobi clean do not seem to bear any
fruits. At City Council, we may speculate why, but its various partners
keen on study upon another, we may not know why.
Meanwhile,
because we believe that A Clean Kenya is possible by the 1st June 2013,
we will begin the cleaning of our market places on the 10th October 2012 to ensure where our
food comes from are clean environments. We also intend to clean the
water beds that pass through Kibera to ensure residents live in cleaner
environments. We will then ensure we push for service delivery to these
places so that they remain clean.
The
problem with this issue of waste is that there are more studies and lip
service than the actual desire to do anything to change the situation.
Above all, vested interests have ensured they keep residents
busy with studies while nothing worthwhile takes place.
Otieno Sungu.
The Clean Kenya Campaign-TCKC.
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