SAKAJA CITES DEBT, POOR INFRASTRUCTURE FOR NAIROBI’S GARBAGE WOES

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has defended his administration over the city’s persistent garbage piles, blaming heavy debts and chronic underfunding for slowing clean-up efforts.
Speaking during a county briefing, Sakaja said his government inherited more than Ksh16 billion in arrears from the defunct Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS), a burden that has drained resources needed for waste collection. He added that monthly allocations from the national government barely cover essential operations, forcing the county to prioritise salaries over fuel and equipment for garbage trucks.
The governor also pointed to an ageing and understaffed cleaning workforce, outdated waste-management trucks and illegal dumping by private collectors. He noted that some contractors dump refuse at night to avoid disposal fees, worsening the city’s filth.
To tackle the crisis, the county has hired over 4,000 youths under the Green Army programme and recently acquired new refuse compactors. Sakaja, however, warned that Nairobi’s outdated drainage and road infrastructure—designed for a much smaller population—will take time and significant investment to upgrade.
“Without consistent funding and modern infrastructure, keeping Nairobi clean remains an uphill task,” he said.