Garbage cartels reap where they do not sow

By Peter Thatiah

The garbage you throw out of your house is a blessing in a field of big money makers complete with cartels.

If it was not so, the Taliban and the Mungiki would not be interested.

In an industry where there are no rules, gangland groups have jumped in to fill the vacuum making sure that you cannot collect garbage in your estate or dump it at the Dandora dumpsite without their permission. The consequences are too dire for garbage collectors to default.

Mr James Mwaniki started the garbage collection business 13 years ago. Operating a fleet of trucks in different parts of the city, he has reckoned with all types of gangs in garbage areas and in the estates. Failure to comply with their demands can result in your truck catching fire mysteriously, or a bullet felling your driver. He says: "When I joined the business the dumpsite was ran by a gang called Taliban. We would pay them to allow us to dump garbage at the site then pay the City Council charges."

In 1999 there was a vicious gang war and the Mungiki ousted the Taliban. Mwaniki says they pay Sh100 for every truck that dumps garbage at the site. Today, he pays Sh800 a day for his eight trucks.

Mungiki taxes

The City Council collects Sh280 a day from the garbage collectors. "The City Councillors know that we pay extra taxes to Mungiki but they are afraid to do anything about it because the gang is organised and very vicious. According to most people, the Mungiki seems more organised than the council. Before the gangs moved to the site, Mwaniki says, the operators paid protection fee of Sh100 to policemen in the nearby Kinyago Police Post. When Mungiki ventured in the policemen simply vanished, leaving the gang with a free hand. Many operators claim the police know the state of affairs at the dumpsite but have never acted to change things.