Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has shed light on why piles of garbage still line some city streets and why his administration is struggling to keep both residential areas and the CBD clean.
In a media interview on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, Sakaja blamed massive debts inherited from the defunct Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) for stalling garbage collection in certain areas.
He explained that the previous administration had only created an illusion of cleanliness.
“Previously, garbage collection was more like sweeping dirt under the carpet without solving the real problem. Before my administration came in, NMS had contracted many service providers, creating an impression that cleaning was being done. But they left us with a debt of Ksh 16 billion. Imagine, contractors were being paid Ksh 1.6 billion every month, yet the national government only sends us Ksh 1.7 billion. With that balance, what other services could we possibly provide?” Sakaja said.
The Governor added that his predecessors also struggled with limited manpower and a shortage of garbage trucks and equipment – issues his administration has started addressing.
“The garbage problem is tied to three things. The first is manpower. Before I became governor, the last time people were recruited to sweep the city was in 1987. Most of the workers were elderly women who were now about to retire. We decided to hire youths, and we have employed more than 4,000 young people under the Green Army program,” he noted.
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Sakaja claimed his administration has largely addressed the manpower shortage but continues to face financial setbacks whenever funds from the national government are delayed.
“The problem comes when money from the national government is delayed. For instance, today, the youths may collect garbage and pile it by the roadside, ready for trucks to pick up.
However, if funds are delayed, I must prioritize paying their salaries over fueling the trucks. That means garbage is collected but not transported because the trucks have no fuel. The money for the environment has not been ring-fenced,” he noted.
The Governor explained that garbage collection in Nairobi is handled by two groups: government-contracted service providers and private collectors hired by estates.
He raised concerns that some private collectors have worsened the problem by engaging in illegal dumping.
“In areas that are not designated collection sites, these private collectors pay young people to dump garbage illegally at night. I even spoke to some of these youths and asked how much they are paid.
They told me Ksh 2,500 per lorry. I told them I would rather pay them Ksh 10,000 per day to do proper work instead of engaging in illegal dumping,” Sakaja said.
The Governor warned that his administration will not tolerate such malpractice, adding that private collectors found guilty of illegal dumping will soon face deregistration.
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