Nyeri county government’s move to convert a garbage dump into a sh600 m public transport and business hub has met opposition from residents concerned about environmental pollution.
Shutting down the only designated dumpsite in Nyeri town exposes over 120,000 residents (KNBS, 2009) to health risks, they say.
The dumpsite at the Asian Quarters grounds was shut down to pave way for construction of a modern public Service Vehicles (PSV) Bus Park and a business hub.
When complete, the termini will have various components including 240 Matatu, Bus, Taxi and Tuktuk loading and offloading bays, 1000 business stalls, 100 booking bays, 40 parking bays, 98 passengers waiting bays, five sanitation blocks, high capacity elevated water tanks and modern solid waste chamber.
It will also have a police post, KPLC substation, a garages and an open air market.
The project is funded by the World Bank through the Kenya Urban Support Programme.
The sh600 m bus park and business park project is near completion and is aimed at decongesting the town that was currently chocking with vehicular traffic – that had overwhelmed the three existing terminuses.
Residents now blame the County Government for embarking on the bus terminus project, before identifying an alternative site for refuse disposal.
Suffocating stench from heaps of garbage littering the streets had overshadowed any accolades the county government mandarins had hoped to reap from modernisation of public transport facilities.
Lax enforcement of environmental laws has resulted in contracted private garbage collectors dumping waste in haphazard manner at very open space in sight.
Corruption and political bickering had frustrated plans to acquire alternative land for dumpsite.
The matter is not made easier by the untimely death of Governor Dr Wahome Gakuru, whose successor lacked political clout to marshal the County Assembly to expedite acquisition of alternative land.
Environment County Executive Committee member, Fredrick Kinyua has, however, denied there is any crisis even as piles of the waste remained uncollected.
Protests
In Othaya Sub-County, residents neighbouring Gikeu dumpsite in Karima Ward, staged a demonstration recently protesting dumping of waste collected from residential estates in Nyeri town at a dumpsite designed for the local trading centres.
Some of the waste is being cast-off in people’s farms and along the roads.
“Garbage trucks from Nyeri town have been ferrying garbage here at night. They have been offloading it on the road and neighbouring farms,” area MCA Reuben Wahome Kabera said.
“This dumpsite is too small for garbage from both Nyeri town,” Kabera said.
Dumpsites public
Kinyua insisted that garbage will continue to be disposed at Othaya, Karatina, Mweiga and Narumoru dumpsites which are public waste-yards.
He said there are plans to purchase land and a budget of Sh50 million has been set aside for the purpose.
But the process of purchasing public land is long, he warned, and called on residents to be patient.
“To buy public land, county governments must pass through National Land Commission (NLC) for it to procure land on their behalf,” he said, adding:
“If the seller agrees to sell land and the price given, then the county transfers the money to NLC for them to procure the land.”
He said the land which the county is in the process of buying will serve the entire Nyeri County.
New 20-acre dumpsite
Governor Mutahi Kahiga had early this year announced that his government had earmarked a 20 acre land in Mweiga, Kieni Constituency, about 25 kilometers away from Nyeri town for relocation of the town’s dumpsite.
But Local MP, Mr Kanini Kega was against the relocation and called on the county government to look for a dumping site elsewhere.
“I will not allow any attempt by the county government to dispose garbage from Nyeri town to my constituency,” said Kega.
