Kisumu is among three cities to benefit from a Sh170 million global initiative to tackle the open burning of waste, a widespread practice with catastrophic impacts on human health and the environment.
The two-year pilot initiative is being implemented in the city by Practical Action, an international development organisation, in partnership with the county government and other players.
The initiative will create enabling conditions to reduce open burning of waste, which includes developing and implementing roadmaps, plans and behaviour change campaigns.
The project is funded by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), a partnership of governments, intergovernmental organisations, and non-governmental organisations convened by the United Nations Environment Programme.
Kisumu is representing Africa in piloting of the project while the other two cities are in Latin America and Asia.
Open burning of waste is a key cause of air pollution, which is responsible for 1.2 million premature deaths in Africa every year.
It contributes to respiratory infections, immune disorders and reproductive abnormalities. It also fuels climate change.
Kisumu Deputy Governor Mathew Owili said he was happy the project was being implemented in Kisumu and they take it very seriously.
Owili said solid waste management has been a growing pain for governments and communities across the world and the situation has been worsened by rapid and worrying rural urban-migration.
"Lack of solid waste management strategies and dismal budgets have jeopardised the campaigns against solid water which poses serious environmental and public health risk with associated significant environmental, social and health costs," he said.
Cities like Kisumu and other fast-growing urban centres are grappling with serious waste management brought about by swelling population and illegal dumping sites.
"This gathering provides us with a perfect forum to exchange ideas and experiences in matters relating to waste management not only in this region but Kenya as a whole," Owili said during the launch of the project in a speech read on his behalf Director of Environment Ken K'Oyoo .
According to Joel Ombok, the project coordinator from Practical Action, the harm caused by the open burning of waste disproportionately impacts vulnerable people, especially in low-income urban settlements in Kisumu and other parts of the country.
Ombok stated that the project will create enabling conditions for eliminating open burning of waste.
He noted that they will start with gathering the data and get the matrices to enable them have the benchmarks against which they are going to measure their performance.
"We are also going to do measurements of emissions of green gases(climate pollutants) that are common especially in areas where there is burnt waste".
Currently, Kisumu generates an estimated 400 tons of solid waste daily. Only 25 per cent of it is collected by the county government and private collectors.
As a coping strategy, 71 per cent of households burn their own waste while 14 per cent dispose of it in open spaces, where it is often burned. Collectors burn waste to reduce the cost of taking it to a dumpsite. Waste plastics are sometimes used to help light cooking fires. Institutions like schools and health centres also routinely burn waste.
"Statistics shows the percentage of waste eliminate through burning within the county and this is dangerous," Ombok said.
Beyond this pilot, Ombok added that they are planning to scale this up in other cities around the world.
K'Oyoo highlighted extensive challenges of open-air pollution, citing insufficient controls and relatively low awareness among the population.
He gave a reference to county health records indicating that many people suffer from respiratory infections linked to both indoor and outdoor air pollution.
The director at the same time emphasised the pivotal role of the project in formulating and implementing essential policies and actions.
He noted that the this initiative will yield crucial outcomes, including an actionable plan to effectively manage open waste burning and mitigate pollution.