Embakasi takes top spot with mountains of garbage collected in two months

Residents of Dandora, Nairobi Kenya rush to salvage waste materials near an excavator.  [File, Standard]

Embakasi, one of the expansive estates in Nairobi, is still grappling with waste management, with garbage piling every second owing to its population and several businesses lining up main and access roads in the neighbourhood.

Between April and June 2026, alone about 1,170 truckloads of garbage were collected in the estate according to statistics by the Nairobi County environment department.

The report says that, in the same period, 1,011 truckloads of waste were removed around Kware, and a total of 679 truckloads of waste were collected from four collection points in the Kasarani area alone.

It also emerged that despite the nationwide ban on plastic materials, polythene remains the leading waste choking the city, with some companies within the Industrial areas said to be producing them in large numbers.

Notably, some of the common wastes are diapers, old weaves and plastic materials among other biodegradables.

County Executive Committee Member for Green Nairobi Maureen Njeri says the operations have led to an intense escalation in waste collection volumes. 

"During peak operations, we can collect up to 6,000 tonnes of waste daily compared to the 1,000 tonnes previously collected,” She said, adding that there are 17 garbage collection points in the city that serve 85 wards.

She added that owing to the growing population, they have been forced to change tack into a coordinated waste collection programme, including a sensitisation programme targeting residents.

In Dagoretti South Sub-County, over 300 truckloads were collected in the same period, specifically at the Waithaka waste collection site, where area residents had raised concerns over heaps of garbage.

Other notorious areas where huge truckloads were cleared are G7 Mowlem – with 29 truckloads removed, Powerline (Umoja) – 44 truckloads removed and KCC Mowlem – 17 truckloads wers removed.

Recently, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja linked the surge to population, adding that Nairobi, being an economic hub, with a daytime population of seven million people, requires a robust and coordinated waste collection system. 

"Since the commencement of the citywide clean-up campaign in April 2026, we have successfully cleared more than 40 major waste collection points and illegal dumping sites across various sub-counties,” Sakaja said.

Environmentalist Francis Karanja says the city is still choking in filth, linking this to the failure by the national government to enforce a total ban on polythene and plastics.

"If you walk around the city and mostly the rivers, you will notice that polythene is everywhere, some known companies in Industrial area are still producing those plastics because they are protected by government. Total ban will cut 60 percent of Nairobi's waste," he added.