Kenyan Minister for Environment Aden Duale’s comments at COP29, which placed responsibility for pollution of the Nairobi River on the middle class rather than those living in informal settlements have sparked debate and even outrage.
Duale’s statement—suggesting that those living in informal settlements generate little waste because they consume everything—may have touched a nerve, but it brings to light a critical issue.
Understanding the connection between waste generation and consumer behaviour is essential if we are to address Nairobi's growing pollution crisis.
While the middle class may feel targeted, it's crucial to look at the facts. Consumer behaviour science shows that those with more resources tend to generate more waste.
According to Prof. Augustine Otieno Afullo, an environmental and climate change researcher, the very poor, like scavengers, generate almost no waste—between 0 to 0.1kg per day. These individuals often survive by repurposing and scavenging, cleaning up after the rest of society.
Low-income groups, producing between 0.1 to 0.3kg of waste daily, rarely have access to formal garbage collection services. Consequently, much of their waste is burned, polluting the air we all breathe. The burden of this pollution is shared across society, manifesting in the rising cases of respiratory and cardiovascular conditions that send us all to hospitals.
Moving up the income scale, the waste generated increases. Those in the upper low-income to lower middle-income bracket generate around 0.4 to 0.8 kg of waste per day.
Many of these individuals live in informal settlements where formal waste collection is unavailable. Their waste is often collected by private cart operators and disposed of at riverbanks or open grounds, adding to the pollution of natural water sources like the Nairobi River.
Now, let’s examine the middle-class and high-income earners who generate between 0.7 to 1.5kg of waste daily per person. While these groups mostly live in planned areas with access to garbage collection services provided by Nairobi City County (kanjo), the waste management system is flawed. Shockingly, half of the collected waste is still dumped illegally on open grounds or riverbanks, and the rest ends up in Dandora, a site infamous for its toxic pollution.
The crux of the matter lies in Duale’s observation: the real issue is not that informal settlers are polluting Nairobi’s rivers—they generate minimal waste and lack the means to dispose of it properly. Instead, it is the middle class, with their greater consumption and inefficient waste disposal practices, who contribute most to the pollution. Nairobi's waste management system is overwhelmed, and the behaviour of those with access to services only exacerbates the problem.
We must acknowledge the role consumer behaviour plays in this crisis. As the better endowed, the middle class and higher-income groups produce more waste by sheer volume, but the lack of responsibility in managing that waste is staggering.
More money often means more consumption and more discarding, without a thought for where the waste ends up. If the services are inadequate, as Prof. Afullo points out, dumping and burning become the default, contributing to air and water pollution that affects us all.
Minister Duale’s remarks should serve as a wake-up call, not an insult. Yes, we all have a part to play, but leadership alone won’t solve the issue if we don’t change our behaviours. Our choices at home—how we dispose of our waste, how much we consume, and whether we hold our leaders accountable for waste management—are all factors in the broader pollution crisis.
At the heart of this issue is the disconnect between waste generation and responsible disposal. Nairobi's pollution problem will not be solved by blaming one group over another but by taking collective responsibility.
As citizens, especially those in the middle class, we must demand better services from our elected leaders while also managing our waste responsibly. It’s time to recognise that we are part of the problem and therefore must be part of the solution.
Last week, the Breathe Nairobi Initiative, which aims to improve air quality and create a healthier city for all, held a stakeholders’ workshop to address Nairobi’s waste management challenges. The discussions highlighted the lack of infrastructure, weak regulatory enforcement, and rampant illegal dumping as key issues.
Stakeholders, including the County Government of Nairobi, national bodies like the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA), international development partners and local CBOs emphasized the importance of a collaborative approach.
The conclusions focused on empowering Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) to monitor waste violations, increasing private sector engagement through incentives for sustainable practices, and launching public awareness campaigns on waste segregation and the dangers of open dumping. These strategies aim to foster community-driven accountability and broader environmental gains.
Looking ahead, solutions like the circular economy model—starting with sorting waste at the source, using material recovery facilities (MRFs), and reducing landfill use—can dramatically improve waste management in the city. If implemented effectively, we could cut Nairobi’s pollution burden by up to 80 per cent, according to environmental experts. Green transport and better waste collection could further reduce the city’s disease burden, leading to healthier, more productive citizens.
In conclusion, let’s not shy away from the truth. Nairobi’s pollution is a collective problem, but as Minister Duale highlighted, the middle class bears significant responsibility due to their consumption patterns and the failure to manage waste properly.
The solution lies in acknowledging our role and working toward sustainable practices. Let’s start by making better choices and pushing for systemic change to ensure a cleaner, healthier Nairobi for everyone.
The writer works as the Project Coordinator of Clean Air Catalyst in Nairobi for Internews Earth Journalism Network
