State bans projects at new Makuyu dumpsite

Muranga Governor Mwangi wa Iria. His government has published an intention to prepare a zoning plan for the landfill. [File, Standard]

Developments near a proposed waste disposal site in Makuyu have been suspended.

According to the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Murang’a County government, the site is Kenya’s first landfill - a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial - and will serve the Nairobi metropolitan area.

The suspension of developments for six months comes after the Government declared the site a 'special planning area'. The authorities also published an intention to prepare a zoning plan for the Gikono/Mitubiri landfill.

“Developments approved by the Murang’a County government in the area shall not be affected, only if it commenced not less than six months before the suspension order,” indicated the notice.

A case has been filed by Benmark Ng’ang’a in the Murang’a High Court, seeking to stop the project on 50 acres of land.

Mr Ng’ang’a claimed the project was likely to pollute the area’s groundwater sources. However, the project coordinator, engineer Benjamin Njenga, in a defence filed in court, said the Sh1 billion project was designed to prevent any seepage of liquid waste.

The notice published in national newspapers yesterday is one of the steps that will see the establishment of the new landfill to absorb garbage produced in Nairobi, Machakos, Kiambu, Kajiado and the host county. The area known as the Nairobi Metropolitan Area hosts the capital city and several municipalities, including Machakos, Murang’a, Thika, Kitengela/Ngong, Kajiado, Athi River, Ruiru, Kiambu, Limuru, Kikuyu, Karuri and Maragua.

It is the highest refuse generation area. Each locality previously had its own dumpsite. The notice has been issued by the Nairobi Metropolitan Services Improvement Project under the State Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure and Urban Development and the Murang’a County government.

“(We) intend to prepare a zoning plan for the Gikono/Mitubiri area where the Mitubiri Sanitary Landfill is located,” indicated the notice. The site is located in Kakuzi Mitubiri and Kimorori/Wempa wards in Gatanga and Maragua constituencies.