Puzzle of different pay structures for city garbage collection

A group collects garbage from City market in Nairobi in 2017. City Hall is on the spot over waste collection. [File, Standard]

A county watchdog committee is probing how different garbage collection companies are paid different rates by City Hall for the same services.

Nairobi Public Accounts Committee (PAC) last week queried Environment Chief Officer David Makori after it emerged that Hardi Enterprise is owed Sh22.6 million for the provision of heavy equipment and machinery in July.

However, another firm by the name Purlexis Limited is owed Sh2.2 million despite providing the same services as Hardi Enterprise.

“Make me understand how one company was paid millions to the tune of Sh27 million while another was paid Sh664,000 in the same month, yet they both provided heavy machinery,” said PAC vice-chairman Moses Ogeto.

Mr Makori, however, explained that the variations in payment were occasioned by one of the firms working for longer hours and deploying more trucks.

Inconsistent payment

“The rates at which the companies are paid are the same, but Hardi Enterprise worked longer hours and used more machinery compared to Purlexis Limited, which probably worked with one machine thus explaining the inconsistencies in payment,” he said.

It also emerged that City Hall had failed to renew contracts of over 30 garbage collection firms whose contracts expired in February, leading to the accumulation of garbage in the Central Business District and in estates.

There are currently only nine garbage contractors serving the entire county on a rotational basis. Each has been appointed to cover more garbage collection areas based on their capacity

City Hall owes eight of the nine contractors Sh227 million for garbage collection for the last three months.

But the committee faulted the decision to use contractors on rotational basis, saying the firms were overwhelmed hence the piling garbage.

Nairobi produces up to 2,500 tonnes of waste every day but is only able to collect 1,800 tonnes. This presents a shortfall of 700 tonnes that City Hall says it has scaled up efforts to collect.