How that heap of trash could be your next paycheck

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It’s about time that the private sector stepped in to manage Nairobi’s waste. The city seems to be choking in its own garbage.  We have now left our garbage in the hands of cartels as the government looks on helplessly. Nairobi residents have been complaining in vain about making payments to the City Council yet garbage remains uncollected.

Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero maintains that the problems are due to corruption and cartels. Kidero is currently tackling the situation by holding a 45 day cleaning exercise in conjunction with NYS. On Monday next week he will meet engineers from the Army as well as NYS to determine how they can prolong the life of the Dandora dumping site which is now full to the brim.

Nairobi  isn’t the only city battling with a garbage crisis. In July 2015, about 20,000 tons of garbage lined the streets of Beirut, Lebanon. This crisis was largely due to the closure of Naameh landfill as well as governance plagued with political conflict according to a Lebanese Environment Minister. Thousands of irate Lebanese citizens took to the streets in protest on the situation. This doesn’t sound much different from our own governance issues and Dandora’s situation, though there are plans to move the dumping site to Ruai.

Garbage will continue to trickle onto our streets if no long term solution is found. On the bright side this is a great opportunity for entrepreneurs. This could be a chance for young Kenyans to put to use the youth funds set aside for them and venture into the world of waste management.  The opportunities are countless, from setting up recycling plants to managing residential waste. One only needs to analyse a strategy for such a business and you could be the one who saves Nairobi from this stinky situation.