Mombasa Counts on New Rules, Ksh1M Fine to End Illegal Dumping

The County Government of Mombasa has imposed a Ksh500,000 fine for illegal dumping of garbage. This is in an attempt to address the pilling waste problem in Mombasa City.

The department of environment, waste management and energy in the county has said all waste handlers and vehicles will be registered afresh to help weed out illegal dumping.

The waste collectors, their carts, and vehicles that are registered will have uniforms unique to the wards they operate in. They will also have county badges and stickers clearly displayed on their carts or vehicles. These will identify them to the residents, landlords, business owners, and other waste generators.

“Those found to be still using unregistered waste collectors for their garbage collection after this activity are going to face full consequences as they will be tracked and together with their collector, arrested and held responsible for the garbage found dumped carelessly in their neighbourhood,” the county said.

“This will also result in a fine of Sh500,000 to Sh1,000,000 depending on the quantity of the garbage dumped,” warned county Environment chief, Ilhan Abass during a forum with community leaders and environment stakeholders drawn from across the six sub-counties.

The county has also introduced a clean up exercise that will be held every last Saturday of the month. The clean up will involve all businessmen and residents. The first one is slated for February 27, 2021.

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“No waste collector will be allowed to dispose or transfer waste to other Wards or neighboring Sub Counties. All residents are being urged to cooperate with these set plans and are being warned that they are going to be in full force upon expiry of these set actions, implemented by the County Inspectorate- Environment Compliance Officers,” said Abass.

Although the county managed to shut down two of its largest dumpsites in Kibarani and VOK and further rehabilitated the areas by planting trees, the issue of dumping has been a huge challenge. Apart from clearing the dumpsites, the county government started its beautification project.

The President had also issued a presidential directive to ensure the garbage crisis in the tourism hub is resolved in efforts to restore the city’s lost glory as a leading tourist attraction in the region.

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