Lakeside stench lingers as dump site relocation faces hurdles

Kachok dump site near Kisumu city. Kisumu residents will have to contend with the pungent and nauseating smell from the infamous Kachok garbage dump site. (PHOTO: COLLINS ODUOR/ STANDARD)

Kisumu residents will have to contend with the pungent and nauseating smell from the infamous Kachok garbage dump site.

The planned relocation of the dump site has lost momentum despite hefty budget allocations since 2013.

The county has remained tight-lipped on the fate of  the dump site, even after some Sh800 million was obtained from the French government to help handle waste management in the lakeside city. The project was funded through the Kisumu Urban Project (KUP).

Apart from the KUP money, there have been more budgetary allocations towards resolving the Kachok dump site menace.

According to Environment and Natural Resources Chief Officer Loice Omoro, Sh10 million has been allocated for the dismantling and decontamination of the dump site in the 2016/2017 financial year.

"We are actually not talking about the relocation of the dump site because, that is a tedious and complex process. The easier way out is just to make the site safe for the populations around it," said Ms Omoro.

She said the county was shopping for a compactor at a cost of Sh7.5 million to help with the decommissioning of the site.

More than 400 tonnes of solid waste generated from the seven sub-counties in the region end up at the site daily. 

Besides being an eyesore, the site sits in an area surrounded by schools, a national stadium and a busy supermarket.

Peter Odongo, who works at the Kisumu School for the Mentally Handicapped, which is adjacent to the site, said they are forced to put up with the foul stench and flies emanating from the site.

"Our offices and classrooms are always full of flies and sometimes, we cannot work with the windows and doors open because of the gases and foul smell. Students always complain of persistent stomachache and malaria, as the dump site is a breeding ground for mosquitoes," said Mr Odongo.

John Okello, a resident of Poly View estate, said the dump site is a security threat to the neighbourhood.

He said the place has become a breeding ground for street families and gangs who break into their homes. "The town is not just filthy, it is also unsafe," he said.

County Environment Officer Sospeter Onunga said the relocation of the site has faced several hurdles despite funding being made available for it.

"Over the years, our efforts to relocate the dump site have been shot down by residents in the candidate sites. Politicians have also ganged up with the locals to oppose the relocation citing environmental hazards," said Mr Onunga.

He added: "We had engaged consultants who identified Majiwa, Muhoroni and Kabongo within Nyando regions but our efforts were shot down due to political poisoning. Now we have identified Chepsweta in Chemelil, which has been accepted by the locals," he said.

With the locals' acceptance, Onunga said the county was awaiting approval for the relocation from the various authorities before they can kick-start the processes.

The Kisumu Youth Football Association Manager Kevin Obware said the scattering of garbage all over and sometimes even into the Moi Stadium had hampered sporting activities.

"We are always forced to look for alternative grounds especially during the rainy seasons as the contaminated water from the dump site makes its way into the grounds. Whenever the garbage is being burnt, visibility at the stadium is adversely affected by the smoke," he said.

Senator Anyang' Nyong'o accused the county government of failing to put in place a good waste management system.

Prof Nyong'o suggested the county could have found an empty quarry and relocated the site.

Kisumu West MP Olago Aluoch accused the county of failure to employ a scientific waste management system, hence the hesitance by residents to accept the site within their villages.

"If the methods to be used were focused on recycling the waste so that no smell comes out, as well as utilise little space, the people would not be resisting the relocation to their neighbourhoods," said Mr Olago.