Kisumu estates choke under heaps of garbage as town centre sparkles

Filth lying at the middle of Nyalenda Estate in Kisumu County.[Collins Oduor, Standard]

On a bright mid-morning, Benter Jaoko struggles to flap away houseflies from her groceries stall at Kojwang in Nyalenda Estate, Kisumu. Five metres away is a heap of solid waste, which sometimes spreads near her stall as animals and street children scavenge.

This has been her tribulation for the past four years, despite the place not being gazetted as a waste skip.