The Clean Air Catalyst Program officially launched two air quality monitoring sites in Nairobi.
The sites, located at Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital and the Fire Station on Tom Mboya Street, are designed to provide critical data on air quality, helping the Nairobi City County better understand the variations of pollutants resulting from waste burning and public transport.
The pilot project will focus on monitoring particulate matter, black carbon, and various weather parameters at these strategic locations.
The launch coincided with the recent observance of the fifth annual International Clean Air Day for Blue Skies, which took place under the theme, “Invest in Clean Air Now.”
Dr. Eng. Festus Ngeno, Principal Secretary of Environment and Climate Change, alongside Nairobi County Deputy Governor H.E. Jame Muchiri and NEMA Director General Mamo B. Mamo, officiated the event, emphasizing the urgent need for action.
“Our cities are experiencing unprecedented deteriorating air quality from stationary and mobile sources, and it’s getting worse. This is mainly because, as a country, we lack regular air quality monitoring systems, which are essential in major cities,” Mamo lamented.
The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has been implementing Air Quality Regulations since 2014.
Mamo B. Mamo noted that to enhance the Authority’s capacity in handling growing air pollution concerns, NEMA is reaching out to partners for better support and resources.
He identified vehicular emissions as a major contributor to air quality deterioration and announced plans to gazette guidelines for enforcing air emission testing from mobile sources.
