Kenya's e-waste hits record high as recycling laws stall

WEEE Centre Chief Executive Bonnie Mbithi.

Kenya generated a record 55,956 tonnes of electronic waste in 2025, with more than 90 per cent bypassing formal recycling despite new disposal laws meant to tackle the crisis.

Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) 2025 Economic Survey shows the volume has climbed consistently from 48,461 tonnes in 2021 to 53,559 tonnes in 2024, reaching 55,956 tonnes in 2025.

The growth reflects rising adoption of smartphones, computers and household appliances, including televisions, refrigerators and washing machines, driven by wider connectivity and cheaper devices across households and businesses.

Informal handlers strip devices for copper, aluminium and other metals in open yards, discarding toxic residue that contaminates soil and water.

Hazardous substances, including lead, mercury, nickel, cadmium, barium and lithium, can damage the brain, lungs, liver and kidneys on exposure, health experts warn.

Over 90 per cent of the waste is handled informally, Germany's Deputy Head of Mission to Kenya, Alexander Fierley, told the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Innovation Summit at Strathmore University in Nairobi in September 2025.

"E-waste is not just a waste problem. It is a public health and environmental issue, but also an untapped economic resource," said Bonnie Mbithi, Chief Executive Officer of the WEEE Centre.

The WEEE Centre is among the few facilities licensed by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) to transport and process e-waste.

The Embakasi-based plant can handle 200 metric tonnes a month but processes only 35 to 50 tonnes, largely because public awareness of proper disposal remains low and regulatory enforcement has been weak.

Mbithi estimates Africa loses up to 10 billion US dollars annually in unrealised urban mining value, metals recoverable from circuit boards and processors that would otherwise require conventional mining.

Kenya passed Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations in 2024, shifting end-of-life product management costs onto manufacturers, importers and brand owners.

However, a court case challenging enforcement has delayed operationalisation of the law, leaving the regulatory framework that was meant to accelerate formal recycling without teeth.

Draft Electrical and Electronic Waste Management Regulations published by NEMA in 2025 aim to build a comprehensive national framework, with analysts projecting that full implementation benefits would outweigh costs at a ratio of more than 15 to one.

NEMA's Director of Environmental Enforcement, Dr Ayub Macharia, warned that informal handlers discard toxic residue on streets and in dumpsites.

"We are worried about this trend since there is a lot of environmental pollution from e-waste," noted Macharia.

Analysts say Kenya's formal recycling capacity remains limited relative to the growing volume of electronic waste, with new laws designed to close that gap now caught in legal limbo.

The scale of the crisis has not gone unnoticed. The WEEE Centre's Mbithi recently received the E-Waste Management and Circular Economy Leadership Excellence award at the African Prestige 100 Honoris Awards in Nairobi, recognition that sits uneasily against data showing Kenya's formal recycling system handles less than one tonne in every 10 generated.