Nairobi, Memorandum Dandora Dumping Site and Waste Management

The “Stop Dumping Death on Us” campaign is a wide coalition composed of the local affected communities, private sector, professional associations, faith based organisations, civil society organisations and UN agencies.

The press conference was opened by Mr. John Okello, an elder of Korogocho, who read the Memorandum in English, followed by Mr. Joseph Gathu another elder who read it in Kiswahili. The campaign coordinator, Fr. John Webootsa, said to the press that “the residents of Dandora and Korogocho started asking for a proper management system for Nairobi as far back as 2001, when the Government of Kenya declared the site full and a health hazard for the neighbouring population” .

“Despite many years of commitments and studies promoted by different institutions and organisations, nothing has changed. This situation has led local communities and their partners to start a campaign aimed at opening dialogue with the institutional actors who can solve this problem” . The Coordinator said, “Every Nairobian has the moral obligation to stand and ask for the closure of the Dandora dumping site which is affecting over 900,000 people, the 25% of Nairobi’s population”.

The coordinator updated the media on the steps the campaign has taken since the last public forum in Korogocho on December 10th 2009, where the community asked their MPs to put pressure on the government. Fr. John Webootsa explained that “campaign members held a number of high profile meetings with key institutional actors and were happy to hear that all of them expressed verbal commitment towards the resolution of this human tragedy which represents the biggest human rights violation in Kenya. However, in order to succeed, their efforts need to be coordinated and prioritised by the President and the Prime Minister” .

Fr. John also remarked that “the issue of the relocation of the Dandora dumping site and the set up of a proper waste management system does not exclusively belong to any particular sector or partisan group. We believe it is an issue of human rights and national development which the Government should prioritise and plan for. Political interference as well as bureaucratic or coordination issues should not slow down or paralyse noble efforts. While the de-commissioning of Dandora is a necessary huge expense which can be partially funded by friends of Kenya, a proper waste management system is an investment in the future of Kenya and will be able to sustain itself if properly managed.”

Mr. Reginald Okumu, the chair of Safer Nairobi Coalition (SANA), stated clearly that “what the campaign proposes is a win-win situation where people will get a better health and local companies and workers will have a better and more profitable environment” . Mr. Reginald added that “the lack of a proper management system and the issue of Dandora is not only affecting the 25% of Nairobians living in those areas, but it is an economic loss for the entire economy since the people who get sick will not be able to work” .

Many community members attended the Press Conference and Mr. Peter Kinyanjui, the chair of the Korogocho Residents’ Committe and Christin Anyango from Dandora addressed the questions from the press.

The Memorandum read by community members reports some concerning data. The memorandum quotes a 2007 UNEP report titled “Environmental pollution and impact to public health. Implications of the Dandora Municipal Dumping Site in Nairobi Kenya” that reveals that:

• The Dandora dumping site causes irreversible damage to the immune, nervous, endocrine and reproductive systems.
• Respiratory, gastro-intestinal and skin diseases, anaemia and different kinds of cancers are just a few of the diseases caused by the dumping site.
• Half of the children tested during the research had concentrations of lead in their blood exceeding international accepted levels and will not live to be more than 50 years of age.
• Half of the children tested were also suffering from respiratory diseases, including chronic bronchitis and asthma.

The memorandum also reports on some very recent data from the 2010 Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Interim Report. The Japanese researchers have discovered that only an average of 600 tons of garbage out of 2400 produced daily in Nairobi are dumped in Dandora, while the remaining 75% is dumped in one of the 38 identified illegal dumping sites located across the city from the Central Business District (e.g. Ngomani Lane or Mto Lane) to other areas such as Zimmerman, Mathare North, Gathundeki or Eastleigh Air Force. Garbage is also piling up at an alarming rate in various neighbourhoods pausing major risks of disease outbreaks.

The memorandum set a clear demand for the President and the Prime Minister to provide leadership in this process and appeals to them to set up a framework to coordinate Waste Management in Nairobi and the relocation of Dandora dumping site. The campaigners asked the President and the Prime Minister to intervene to avoid uncoordinated efforts which may lead to duplication of efforts and possible institutional conflicts among different government actors.

The Coordinator told the media that they have requested for an opportunity to pay a courtesy call to the President and the Prime Minister to discuss this issue.

Another important request by the campaigners is that the new waste management system for Nairobi should provide formal employment for the people currently working in the dumping site , collecting waste; and a friendly environment for those companies that have already invested and those that are willing to invest in the sector .

The memorandum also calls for immediate measures to contain toxic fumes in Dandora dumping site while preparing the new landfill and urgent medical attention to the residents of Korogocho and Dandora who are suffering from various ailments caused by the dumpsite.

The campaigners emphasized that the Dandora dumping site needs full decommissioning to prevent dangerous substances from affecting people for generations to come. Lastly, the Memorandum asks the Government to ensure that the new waste management system will maximize resource efficiency, be guided by the 4Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle, recover) and use only environmentally sound technologies so as to avoid postponing the problem to the future by creating another Dandora somewhere else.

Our website contains other useful information about the campaign: www.kutokanet.com

Should you require more information or a meeting with us at your most convenient time, please do not hesitate to contact us. Please confirm your presence by email.

Email: stopdumpingdeath@gmail.com or call the campaign coordinator, John Webootsa +254 715 112918

The campaign is promoted by: the Elders of Korogocho, the Elders of Dandora, Kutoka Network, Concern, CAFOD, Misereor, ANPPCAN, SANA (Safer Nairobi Coalition), NCBDA, Oxfam GB Kenya Programme, COVAW, Shelter Forum.