Nairobi county’s Chief Officer for Environment, Geoffrey Mosiria, has urged motorists in the CBD to switch off their vehicle engines after parking, warning that idling cars are worsening the city’s already poor air quality.
Mosiria said vehicle emissions, combined with reckless waste burning and factory gases, are the leading causes of rising pollution levels in the CBD, particularly around the Fire Station area.
“There is a lot of pollution going on in the CBD, especially around the fire station area, and our website is showing that the air is unhealthy,” Mosiria said yesterday.
“This pollution around CBD is happening because of vehicles, and I would like to urge vehicle owners in CBD to ensure that they switch off their engines when they park so that we can reduce pollution from cars within CBD.”
The county has also encouraged residents to regularly check the Nairobi County website under the Air Quality section to monitor conditions in different areas before visiting. Mosiria advised those heading to areas with poor air quality to wear masks, particularly people with asthma and other respiratory conditions.
“Some areas have good air, but the quality is moderate, meaning that you can breathe the air, but those people who are asthmatic or have other existing respiratory problems should ensure that they wear a mask,” he said.
Despite persistent pollution in the city center, Mosiria noted that air quality in some neighborhoods such as Dandora Phase 1, Embakasi West, Buruburu, Jogoo Road, Mamlaka Road, Dagoretti South, and Gigiri has improved, with clean air levels that do not require masks.
Still, the broader picture remains alarming. In August, Nairobi was ranked the second most air-polluted city in the world by IQAir, trailing only Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
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