By Hope Barbra
Waste management has been a nightmare for most cities and municipalities in the country.
Waste management is one of the biggest nightmares in the country and the most controversial, with cartels calling the shots.
It is the best-rewarding venture, and those in it have been minting millions of shillings.
Kisumu City took a new path to resolve the waste management crisis to make it one of the cleanest cities in East Africa.
Previously, Kisumu City outsourced waste management services at Sh75 million a year. But the city was still dirty.
Kisumu City Manager Mr Abala Wanga said with the support of the Governor Prof. Anyang’ Nyong’o, they opted to discontinue the outsourcing of the service.
“We decided to take over the service of waste management and recruited the 500 employees of the service provider. We paid the salary arrears they had and entered into a contract with them, and that has been the turnaround,” he said.
Abala said from the direct procurement and contract award, they were able to save the City Sh25 million from the Sh75 million paid to the contractor.
Abala said the cleaners are expected to work at night, and this has ensured the cleanliness of the city.
Abala spoke during the benchmarking by Embu Municipality in Kisumu.
Abala said outsourcing of waste management services was a source of unreliable service and that is why the government should take over the management of waste services.
CEC for Lands, Mining, Physical Planning, Housing and Urban Development, Raymond Kinyua, said the waste management system in Kisumu City was the way to go.
“We are impressed by the unpopular move to manage your own waste. It has paid dividends, and this is the route we will take in future,” he said.
He said they were impressed by the planning of Kisumu City and the general cleanliness.
Reasons why Kisumu City is the cleanest
- There is regular waste collection by local groups, and officials and county teams clear trash from the central business district on a daily basis.
- Recycling programmes by dedicated youth and community welfare groups turn plastic waste into useful products.
- Better infrastructure – paved walkways, cabro-paved lanes, and improved drainage systems – keep mud and loose dirt off main roads.
- Top-ranked towns are Kisumu, Kericho and Nakuru.
