Through Chief Officer for the Environment Geoffrey Mosiria, City Hall issued the warning on Monday November 18 after a security guard was caught burning waste in a residential compound in one of the Nairobi estates, in contravention of environmental regulations.Â
Under the Nairobi County Air Quality Act of 2021, City Hall expressly forbids open burning of waste unless authorisation is guaranteed by relevant offices.
The Act stipulates that any individual found burning waste without approval commits an offence which carries a penalty of not less than Ksh500,000 or a minimum of six months imprisonment, or both.
The county official revealed that he was drawn to the security guard’s location after noticing a significant plume of smoke rising from the vicinity during one of his routine patrols.
Upon inspection, he discovered the guard had ignited a heap of waste on fire, generating dense and potentially harmful smoke which drifted into adjacent homes.
“I also found evidence that this was not the first time such burning had taken place, the dry ash around the area confirmed it. Smoke entering people’s houses poses serious health risks. Children are affected the most, and for individuals with asthma or other respiratory conditions, this makes their situation even worse,” Mosiria revealed.
While the security guard was let off with a warning, the Chief Officer for Environment emphasised that non-compliance by landlords, property managers or their security agents would attract tougher enforcement measures from the county.
Burning of waste, particularly in estates, is outlawed because of the significant air pollution caused by smoke which at times emanates from plastic which is also being set ablaze.
In uncontrolled residential areas, small fires from waste burning also run the risk of escalating into full-blown fire incidents.
For industrial entities violating air quality standards, they face penalties of no less than Ksh1 million or imprisonment for up to two years.
In recent months, Mosiria has also cracked the whip on rogue Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) and Private Service Providers (PSPs) accused of dumping waste at illegal sites.
Despite the county government shutting down some dumping sites, which were deemed unfit, some CBOs and PSPs are still dumping their waste in the site, which has, in turn, compromised the health and well-being of those living near the sites.
By James Kisoo
