Residents turn new road into dumpsite

A section of the improved and refurbished Outer Ring Road, which was opened to the public in 2016, has turned into an eyesore as residents from neighbouring estates throw their garbage there.

A number of garbage collectors from areas such as Donholm are dumping garbage on the road as a cheaper option to transporting the waste to the official city dumpsite in Dandora.

Several reports from frequent users of the road indicate that many of those who dump waste do so even during the day.

“I often see people dumping waste here. They come with handcarts full of garbage, which they throw here and then go,” said Winnie Aluoch, a resident of Donholm.

Aside from the massive dumping, road users are also frequently littering the grass that was planted by Kenya Urban Roads Authority (Kura) to beautify the pavements.

John Cheboi, the spokesperson for Kura, which oversaw the construction of the road, said maintenance and sanitation of the road, just like any other area within the city, was the responsibility of the county government.

“Our job was to build the road; what comes after is up to the county,” said Mr Cheboi, adding that the county administration could deploy security personnel to arrest those found dumping waste illegally.

Major challenges

Illegal dumping has been one of the county government's major challenges. In November 2017, Governor Mike Sonko launched a hotline for reporting people found dumping waste.

He also ordered the City Inspectorate Department to arrest anyone found dumping illegally.

Since then a number of garbage collectors have been arrested for dumping waste in unofficial sites. One private garbage collector was found dumping waste behind Panari Hotel on Mombasa Road.