Residents living near the Malindi airport have been warned against dumping wastes since it is a threat to aircraft landing and taking off daily.
The Kenya Airports Authority said waste products attract birds which if in large numbers could cause birds strikes and cause aircraft accidents which are dangerous for airplanes and passengers.
Speaking during the monthly clean-up exercise organized by the Progress Welfare Association of Malindi (PWAM) which has adopted the Nyumba 10 style to prevent crowding due to the Covid-19 pandemic the officials said they found out that many residents living near the fence dump a lot of waste materials which was wrong.
The clean-up which brought together the staff of KAA, airlines, taxi drivers, security among others who begun cleaning right from the gate along the fence towards Kisumu Ndogo informal settlement which is adjacent to the runway.
According to Gladys Sua, the Safety officer at Malindi airport the reason for cleaning up the airport area was because of the safety of the aircraft and its passengers.
She said garbage around the airport attracts birds and can cause bird strikes to the aircraft which can lead to an accident.
“It is important to ensure our aircraft are safe, our passengers are safe and our work environment is safe so that is the importance of ensuring our environment is clean from Foreign objects Debris,” she said.
Ms Sua said they observed that the community living around were dumping waste along the fence that’s why they embarked on a sensitization mission to ensure they stop it.
The safety officer urged locals to ensure the airport is clean always because it has negative effects which could attract birds, dogs, or cats which lead to accidents.
“Maintaining an aircraft is expensive, passengers involved in an aircraft accident its expensive to compensate so we urge the community living around to be responsible and avoid dumping waste along the fence,’ she said.
Kate Mwikali the chairperson of the Progress Welfare Association of Malindi (PWAM) said the clean-ups promote a lot of social cohesion.
She said they adopted Nyumba 10 models of cleaning which started up with 25 neighborhoods and the number has risen to 41 which is 410 people cleaning their community.
Ms Mwikali said they are getting ready with the expansion of Malindi airport and are happy it was budgeted for by the government.
“The expansion will create jobs, It will create more experiences for tourists in Malindi and the clean up will reduce the crawl infestation that we have in Malindi which is a danger to the tourists,” she said.
The chairperson of PWAM said the clean-up and expansion plan of the airport is a journey towards an eco-certified destination with international flights landing in Malindi.
She said the airport expansion will benefit not only tourists but even locals as they will have an opportunity to export products.
a participant, Nisha Shaze Omar aged 9 years said she is happy because it ensures there is a clean environment for living.
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“When you find paper dumped you should pick it up the environment is very important in a human life,” she said.
Omar said she started participating in clean-ups from the beach, town clean-ups and when the Covid-19 pandemic came she now focuses on cleaning the area near her home.
Conrad Masinde President Rotary Club of Malindi said they have been taking part in clean-ups and termed the Nyumba 10 model of cleaning as very successful.
He said they are happy to be part of the clean-up activities and are engaging children to learn about keeping their environment clean.
“We are looking forward to making it a major project and priority for Rotary, in terms of cleaning up we are supporting in terms of planting trees and so far we have planted 4000 trees,” he said.
Masinde said they were also happy to hear the airport expansion is taking shape as it will help in Making Malindi attract international flights.
*This article was written by Ramadhan Kambi for Uzalendo News. Email: uzalendonews24@gmail.com to submit your story.
