NAIROBI, KENYA — Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino has laid out a multi-pronged proposal to tackle Nairobi’s persistent garbage management crisis and environmental degradation.
Addressing residents and media outlets, the lawmaker emphasized that solving the capital’s solid waste issue requires a combination of political accountability, economic devolution, and civic maintenance.
Owino asserted that waste management in the county has long been derailed by corruption and entrenched cartels within city administration. He argued that public officials who compromise standard procedures facilitate ineffective garbage collection.
“We cannot finish garbage if you have another garbage in office; we’ll have to clean that garbage in office, and then clean Nairobi.”
To dismantle centralized bottlenecks, Owino proposed decentralizing garbage collection down to all 85 wards across Nairobi. Under this model:
Local youth, women, and community groups would be encouraged to register small enterprises.
Collection contracts would be directly awarded to these localized groups to clear waste within a 30-day operational window while simultaneously creating local employment.
Highlighting that urban solid waste management is not an insurmountable problem, the MP insisted that consistent schedule-based collections are essential to prevent refuse from overflowing into public areas.
Linking solid waste directly to Nairobi’s recurring flash floods, Owino noted that uncollected garbage routinely clogs storm drains and waterways such as the Nairobi, Ngong, and Mathare rivers. He advocated for routine desilting, deepening shallow drainage channels, and keeping waterways clear of plastic and household waste.
The proposals come amid ongoing debates between county leadership and city legislators regarding service delivery, sanitation budgets, and infrastructure maintenance across the capital. Owino maintained that with transparent management and localized action, Nairobi’s waste issue can be permanently resolved.
