Nairobians will soon see a new regime in garbage collection as City Hall prepares to roll out the operation of Green Nairobi Limited - a public entity with the exclusive mandate over the capital’s cleanliness.
The entity, the Star has learnt, is likely to start operation this April and will usher in a new era, complete with a new fleet of compactors and trucks as well as new rates.
The county administration has been gradually acquiring new machinery for garbage handling.
Earlier in the year, Governor Johnson Sakaja unveiled 24 new refuse compactor trucks and promised to deploy an additional 200.
It is expected that the new company will absorb 3,500 youths named the “Green Army”, who are employed to wash the streets and unclog waterways.
The Green Nairobi company is also expected to take over the machinery Garbage collection will be based in the boroughs established.
The county boss is expected to name its inaugural chief executive as well as board members in coming weeks.
The initiative is a key milestone in the fulfilment of Sakaja’s manifesto, in his strategy to drive cartels out of garbage management.
Contracting private players has not solved the menace, Sakaja said in previous interviews, as they mostly prioritise profits over doing the real work.
He said companies handling garbage collection in Nairobi have dropped from 68 to 10 in two years. Nairobi government will hold the majority stake in the public entity, with 4,850 shares. The remainder will be distributed to City Hall officials named as directors.
According to government records, the directors, holding 50 shares each, include CEC for Green Nairobi, county secretary Godfrey Akumali, chief officer for environment Geoffrey Mosiria and chief officer for Finance Asha Abdi.
However, controversy is already brewing, after some MCAs objected to the manner in which the decision was reached. Some claim they were not consulted, while others say the approval for the company’s establishment in the city assembly was rushed and did not factor in the views of the public.
Garbage collection has been riddled with corruption, which led
to former Governor Mike Sonko’s
downfall after a scandal erupted.
The latest Controller of Budget
report has also flagged alleged accountability issues.
