The residents of Mombasa's Likoni area have expressed their displeasure with the way garbage is being disposed off at Likoni dump site.
They claim that their lives are at stake as they are most likely going to be affected by the state of affairs and more importantly, their children tend to go and play at the dump site oblivious of the repercussions of their actions.
Worrying still is that the dump site is located next to a primary school, Muslim Primary School, and to them, that has compounded the magnitude of the reality they will have to grapple with.
I made an effort to visit the said dump site and was able to confirm the height of the problem.The dump site is littered with garbage carelessly scattered all over the play and at a distance, you could see young children often playing in the area.
At around 200 meters away, there are eateries, where residents often flock during lunch hours for meals amid the foul smell coming out of the damp site.
Ann Mwongeli, an eatery operator, they often lack customers as the stench drives the customers away. As such, they are forced to go home as the businesses fail to flourish.
"This place is dangerous to the lives of the people here, my business is struggling as many customers fear this place due to the potential hazards it poses," she said as I talked to her today morning.
To Alice Nafula, she fears for the life of her 5-year-old son who often goes to the dump site in the company of his friends to play, unaware of the impact of such an action.
"My son often goes there to play and I fear for his health. He is most likely going to be infected in future if this menace is not addressed by the right people," she said as her friend Pauline Nanjala reinforced her statement saying that the issue has to be handled expeditiously.
To the residents of Likoni, they fear that failure to address their plight may aggravate the problem to new level.
They are now asking the relevant authorities to step in.