Nyeri unprepared for Madaraka Day over garbage mess

Uncollected garbage next to the Nyeri County Governors offices perimeter wall, May 30, 2017. PHOTO: Mose Sammy, Standard

Nyeri town is full of garbage as the county prepares to host Madaraka Day celebrations. 

The scattered mounds of waste across the town and residential estates cannot go unnoticed. Moreover, the stinking mess extends to the compound of the governor's office - waste has been dumped behind the building and the main drainage outside the office block is clogged.

In fact, most of the drains in the town are clogged with plastic bags, plastic bottles and mud.

A spot check by The Standard established that there was no clean up going on despite the county government hosting the national event.

Joseph Karanja, a taxi driver, said the county government had failed to keep the town clean.

"The garbage has been uncollected for weeks and the stench is even worse now that the rains are here," he said.

"Nobody is listening nor acting," said Mr Karanja.

But garbage heaps are not new in Nyeri. They are an old problem that residents have somehow found a way to cope with.

Samuel Maina, a carpenter in Kamakwa, has become used to the foul smell. Next to his workshop is a heap of garbage.

Residents said they had raised concerns over the growing piles of garbage but there was no response from the relevant authorities.

However, Governor Samuel Wamathai said operations were underway to clean up the town and gave assurances that the county was ready for the big day.

"I assure you the town will be garbage-free by the end of the day," Mr Wamathai said.

County Director of Environment John Mugenyo acknowledged the county was facing challenges with garbage collection vehicles but had acquired extra equipment to clean up ahead of tomorrow.

"We have intensified the garbage collection workforce and added three more vehicles to speed up the collection. All the refuse will be cleared by the end of the day," he said.

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