Nairobi County has launched a sweeping waste management crackdown that will see residents and businesses face stiff penalties for improper disposal of garbage.
The move comes in the wake of recent protests that left the Central Business District (CBD) strewn with litter and public infrastructure, including waste bins, vandalised.
The county has begun reinstalling garbage bins across key points in the city, aiming to restore order, hygiene, and public discipline.
Speaking during the official relaunch of the waste disposal initiative, Nairobi County Chief Officer for Environment Geoffrey Mosiria announced that those found dumping waste outside designated bins or vandalising the installations would face heavy fines and other penalties.
Mosiria called on Nairobi residents to take personal responsibility for their environment and play an active role in protecting public facilities.
“I appeal to all Nairobi residents: let us take responsibility. If you see anyone vandalising, misusing, or ignoring these bins, speak up and take action,” he said.
“A clean city is not built by the government alone; it is built by all of us.”
To enforce the new campaign, the county has issued seven strict directives targeting hygiene violations and unregulated waste disposal. These include:
- Heavy fines for individuals who litter or fail to use designated public bins.
- Ban on hawking in unauthorized locations, especially in high-traffic public spaces.
- Closure of businesses that lack proper waste disposal systems.
- Regulation of private garbage collectors, who will now be required to operate under new licensing guidelines.
- Restrictions on roadside food vendors operating without approved waste disposal facilities.
- Prohibition of open garbage burning within city limits.
- Mandatory cleanliness of all business premises and building frontages.
Additionally, CCTV surveillance systems will be installed in littering and dumping hotspots to monitor compliance and catch offenders in the act.
Mosiria warned that the county would take bold steps, even if unpopular, to reverse the growing deterioration in urban hygiene.
“Moving forward, we are ready to make unpopular but necessary decisions,” he said.
“These steps may not win applause from everyone, but they are necessary. We cannot clean our city while tolerating behaviours that dirty it.”
The move follows months of unrest in Nairobi, where city-wide demonstrations led to widespread destruction of public property, including the total wreckage of previously installed garbage bins.
The new initiative aims to repair the damage and restore public trust in the city’s sanitation systems.
Residents are now urged to cooperate fully with the directives or face consequences.
As the county works to reclaim Nairobi’s image as a clean, orderly capital, authorities stress that success will depend on both enforcement and civic participation.
