Nairobi County embraces JICA’s circular waste management initiative

KENYA – Nairobi County Chief Officer for Environment, Mr. Hibrahim Otieno, has welcomed a new project by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), promoting a circular model of environmentally sound waste management in urban areas.

The project, named ‘Promoting Circular Model of Environmentally Sound Waste Management in Urban Areas,’ is supported by JICA and implemented jointly by the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, NEMA, and the County Governments of Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kiambu. Its purpose is to establish a material recovery system in Kenya’s urban areas.

According to Mr. Otieno, the initiative aligns perfectly with Nairobi County’s ongoing efforts to reduce waste through a circular economy model.

This includes constructing material recovery facilities and raising awareness as outlined in the Nairobi City Sustainable Waste Action Plan.

“Bringing the project on board at this particular time will help the County do some functions which we could not do all by ourselves because of limited resources,” he stated.

Mr. Otieno highlighted that Nairobi County, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, NEMA, and other stakeholders, developed the first Sustainable Waste Action Plan, which led to the creation of the Sustainable Solid Waste Management Act of 2022.

One key dimension of this Action Plan is to develop a material recovery facility within the City County. He expressed gratitude for the Ministry of Environment’s support in mobilizing stakeholders to tackle the solid waste management issue, a significant problem in Nairobi, the largest waste producer in the country, generating 3,200 tons of solid waste per day.

Eng. Festus Ng’eno, Permanent Secretary of the State Department for Environment and Climate Change, emphasized that the project represents a significant milestone in the collective efforts to address waste management challenges in Kenya.

Estimates show that the country generates between 3,000-4,000 tonnes of waste per day, underscoring the need for innovative solutions.

“The project has come at the right time when the government of Kenya, through the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, has formulated a comprehensive legal framework for the sector,” said Eng. Ng’eno.

The five-year project (2024-2029) aims to promote material recovery, raise public awareness on circular economy principles in sustainable waste management, ensure producers fulfill EPR requirements, improve waste collection and transportation efficiency, and enhance landfill management and material recovery.

In related news, the Kericho country government recently secured a KES 68 million grant from the French government for the county’s solid waste management project.

The French Ambassador to Kenya, Mr. Arnaud Suquet, said that France provided grants and digital technology to the County government of Kericho to Collect and Manage Solid waste, which is becoming a global challenge.

“The issue of solid waste management is not only affecting Kericho but is a major challenge in every urban setting around the world, and we are all struggling to find adequate solutions to this very problem of waste management. Digital technology will come in handy to aid in waste management,” Mr. Suquet said.

He said the technology will be employed in Solid waste management in Kericho, a country-pilot project.

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