For many years, Kisii County has grappled with waste management. However, Governor Simba Arati’s government has promised to address the challenge through short and long-term measures.
Mr Arati and his deputy Dr Robert Monda say they have an elaborate plan to ensure residents will no longer grapple with waste management.
Dr Monda told journalists that the immediate and short-term measures entail clearing piles of garbage in various urban centres across the county.
“Our immediate plan is to remove the heaps of garbage in our urban areas. Governor Arati directed that the Nyambera dumpsite be cleared. I am here to ensure Keumbu town is clean and this will happen in all other areas in our county,” said Dr Monda.
While calling on residents to manage their own waste, Mr Monda said that farm waste, when decomposed, makes good compost manure.
Decomposed waste
“There are many people who are interested in taking the decomposed waste to their farms as manure. Kisii being agricultural land, many people may not even get the kind of waste found in Keumbu and other farm produce markets,” said Dr Monda.
He advised residents to dig trenches where the waste will be dumped, covered with soil and then compressed. He said the county will allocate funds to buy garbage recycling machines.
“The plastics will be recycled while farm produce manure will be processed. The machines will be crushing the waste,” said Mr Monda.
Just a day after he took the oath of office, Mr Arati ordered that all garbage at the undesignated dumpsite in Nyambera in Kisii town be removed.
Early this year, the National Environment Complaints Committee (NECC) ordered the closure of the dumpsite within six months.
This came after Kisii residents complained of the health risk posed by the dumpsite.
NECC Chairman Dr Lumumba Nyaberi described Nyambera dumpsite as an “eyesore”.
The dumpsite is situated between Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital (KTRH) and the Daraja Moja-Daraja Mbili road.
Two days ago, the Kisii Deputy Governor supervised the cleaning of Keumbu market which is popular for the sale of sugarcane, avocado and sweet bananas.
The market, which is located along Kisii-Keroka Road, has been in a deplorable state, with piles of waste dumped along the road. The waste removed was taken to farms to be used as manure.
The county lacks a designated dumpsite and Mr Arati and his administration will have a tough task to identify one.
Two years ago, Kisii County government spent Sh34 million to buy a 20-acre piece of land in Nyatieko in Kitutu Chache and set it aside for a dumpsite and a public cemetery.
Unfortunately, the county government cannot develop the site because there is a court order restraining any development on the land.
Trouble started last year after the county attempted to hive off 13 acres of the 20-acres land for a public cemetery. Alleged owners of the land barred the county from developing the land until a domestic dispute over its ownership is resolved. BY DAILY NATION