Othaya residents reject new dumpsite plan

Residents of Karima ward protest at the site of Gikeu dumping site. [Lydiah Nyawira, Standard]

Residents from Karima ward in Othaya Constituency have rejected plans by the County Government to dump garbage near them.

More than 200 residents demonstrated yesterday and said the county did not have a public participation before deciding on the matter.

The county government last month ordered all garbage collected in Nyeri Town sub-county dumped in Karatina and Othaya towns' dumpsites.

The Gikeu dumpsite in Karima Ward is one of the areas where the county garbage trucks have been disposing of the trash, much to the anger of locals.

Alice Muraya, a resident, said her children suffered Asthma and other respiratory diseases, which she believed were results of inhaling fumes from the dumpsite.

Ms Muraya told The Standard the county garbage disposal trucks had been driving into the site at night for the past two months. “We heard the county was looking for a garbage disposal site in Kieni Constituency. What happened to this plan? Why have they decided to divert the garbage to Othaya, near our homes?” she posed.

Area MCA Reuben Kabera said the National Environmental Management Agency should probe the matter because the area has a high water table and is densely populated.

“This area they are dumping trash in is prone to flooding and the trash is swept into the marshlands and also becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes. It is unsuitable for garbage disposal,” he said.

He warned that the locals would remain vigilant and not allow any disposal at the site. “I have personally stopped dumping of garbage here by five trucks and I will continue to mobilise residents to resist the move to bring garbage to my area,” he said.

Water and Sanitation Executive Frederick Kinyua told journalists the county was still looking for an alternative dumping site.