Unenforced laws suffocate drains with trash

Floods in Nairobi's South C estate 13/05/15. [Photo/Moses Omusula/STANDARD]

Nairobi City County’s environment by-laws prohibit residents from littering.

‘Depositing any type of material or waste on the streets’ has been listed as a punishable offence.

It, however, seems that Nairobi dwellers are yet to adhere to such laws as reckless littering continues. It is not unusual to see flying garbage, especially polythene bags, from buses.

Indeed last Saturday I saw students who were walking for some cause, empty their bottles and then throw them along Lang’ata Road. I nearly shouted from the confines of my seat in the matatu.

“Probably there is a problem with the enforcement of these laws,” opines Titus Simiyu, county director of Environment at Nema, “because if everyone who litters was held to account then the story could be different.”

This comes after torrential rains in Nairobi lifted the lid on the true state of plastic littering within the environment.

“It is an eyesore at the mouth of every drainage,” protested Caroline Mungai, a resident of the city. “It has a lot to do with the ignorance of many city dwellers who wouldn’t bat an eyelid before throwing litter anywhere. But the authorities have also relented in carrying out their work to enforce non-littering and ridding the streets of the litter.”

The recent downpours saw many lose their homes through landslides and flooding. It also exposed our poor drainage and sewage systems massively.

This has resulted in mischanneling of waste water as well as run-offs, something that public health officials fear could instigate communicable diseases.

Handling of solid waste is the mandate of the city county. According to Titus, Nema’s role is to regulate the process, ensuring that standard procedures are upheld.

“We ensure that all the equipment used in handling waste meet the standards. And the sites used for dumping satisfy the requirements,” he added during an interview.

Plastic waste is non-biodegradable. It can create an environment for disease pathogens to survive and could be physically hazardous to humans.

Previously, a law to increase plastic recycling and reduce manufacturing (of new ones) was thwarted when corporates involved in various plastic businesses went to court. According to Titus, had the law passed, a lot of plastic littering would have been tamed.

“I understand a similar law is currently in the county assembly for discussion and passing,” he offered.

A 2005 survey by Nema, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (Kippra), showed that 100 million plastic bags are handed out annually in Kenya by supermarkets alone. The vast majority end up in rivers and as far as the Indian Ocean — where they pose danger to animals.