Uasin Gishu will soon have a waste management project as urbanisation in the county expands.
Speaking during a consultative forum on the environment in Eldoret on Thursday, Kenya Informal Settlement Improvement Programme (KISIP) Index projects Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Timothy Muriuki said there is need for locals to improve their environment by separating waste before disposal.
This, he said, is to prevent health risks.
“There is a continued culture by most households who are fond of disposing waste in the open. This is with a perception that it will be collected by authorities but they fail to understand that they have a role to play in protecting the environment through separation. Some waste finds its way to blocking drainages,” he said.
He said growing urbanisation is a major contributor to the increase in waste.
Muriuki said through KISIP, they aim at educating officials on proper management before it becomes a challenge.
He noted that they have identified key areas in the region for empowerment which comprise of Munyaka, Huruma and Kamukunji that boast of huge population in Eldoret.
The county Environment and Natural resources chief officer Simon Kemei observed that 57 per cent of waste dumped in the region comprises of organic which can in turn be used as manure for farms. Plastics make up 20 per cent and metals three per cent respectively.
“We are concerned because besides being an agricultural hub, locals are not aware that instead of dumping organic waste, they can make use of it in their farms in order to improve productivity,” he explained.
Kemei stated that the dumping site currently holds 250 metric tonnes of organic waste that has filled the site and which if separated, can be recycled for good use.