Mapping of Waste Pickers in Kenya

Posted By admin on February 2nd, 2010

Waste reclaimers are among the most vulnerable people in our societies. Each day is a struggle to them, handling waste as communities watch and judge them from a far. They play a very magnificent role of making our environment clean, freeing us from deadly diseases. It is a sacrifice considering that they, themselves are exposed to filth that if left alone, the community would not have the guts to look at it twice. At the end of the day, tired from their daily routine they pocket so little yet they are not recognized by our societies and our governments.

It is estimated that Nairobi has over 4,000,000 inhabitants and just one dumping site, with no legal framework for solid waste management. Dandora Municipal Dumping Site was declared full and a health hazard for the neighboring population as far back as 2001. Chemical, hospital, industrial, agricultural and domestic waste is dumped here and left unprocessed. Due to the lack of space, people are obliged to burn the waste and toxic fumes contaminate the air 24 hours a day. Over 900,000 people are directly affected by this dumping site. Those affected by the dumping site

WIEGO in collaboration with Ecotact is undertaking a massive research in identifying waste reclaimers within four towns (Nairobi, Kisumu, Nakuru & Mombasa) in Kenya.

As part of a five year “Inclusive Cities project” WIEGO is running an Africa Waste Picker Programme. The objectives of this programme are:

To increase the organization and voice of waste pickers (reclaimers) and make visible their contribution to solid waste management and recycling, nationally, regionally and internationally.
To create fora/opportunities for exchange of ideas and experiences between organizations of waste pickers (reclaimers), other stakeholders and policy makers, and provide support for policy advocacy.

Ecotact in partnership with WIEGO aims to identify reclaimers organizations, groups of reclaimers and organizations working with reclaimers across the country in order to develop a basic understanding of the current state of organizing and to make links with reclaimers and organizations working with reclaimers that can be of use with WIEGO and other organizations.

Ecotact has managed to visit 104 solid waste reclaimer organizations and organizations supporting the solid waste reclaimers; 25 organizations in Nairobi, 22 organizations in Mombasa, 35 organizations in Kisumu and 22 organizations in Nakuru. There are similarities especially in challenges faced within the four towns and major differences when it comes to by-laws and organization of the waste reclaimers organizations.

There are similarities especially in challenges faced within the four towns and major differences when it comes by-laws and organization of the reclaimers organizations.