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How City Hall is planning to modernise operations at Dandora dumpsite


City Hall plans to use at least Sh50 million to modernise operations at Dandora Dumpsite.

Nairobi County Environment executive Vesca Kangogo said Sh40 million will be used to purchase an extra weighbridge to compliment the existing one.

WEIGHBRIDGE

She said the new weighbridge will be able to give accurate and up to date data by capturing the tonnage of solid waste delivered at the dumpsite.

The other weighbridge at the dumpsite, which was installed in 2010, has been experiencing challenges breaking down last year August only to resume operations in April this year.

The other plan will see the county government construct atleast five new access roads around the dumpsite located in Dandora 4 Ward at a cost of Sh10 million.

The projections are contained in the Annual development plans for the next financial year 2020/2021 which were submitted to the County Assembly Sectoral Committee on Environment last week.

According to Ms Kangogo, the new access roads will improve accessibility in and out of the dumpsite reducing the time taken by garbage trucks to offload waste at the site.

ENTRANCES

She explained that normally, the garbage trucks line up along John Osogo Road, which is the main road leading to the entrance of the dumpsite, with each waiting for its turn to dump their waste in the site but with the planned access roads, the trucks will be able to increase the number of rounds they make to and from the dumpsite as they will have more access points.

“These access roads will be at strategic positions in different parts of the dumpsite. By doing this, we will be able to open up more the dumpsite which in turn will reduce the time taken by trucks to dump waste at the site,” said Ms Kangogo.

Currently, there are only two official entrances to the Dandora dumspite, one at the Shell Petrol Station and the other at Stage 41. The entrances are controlled by county officials based at the weighbridge.

The dumpsite, started in 1970 as a quarry, is the only official dumping site in Nairobi County.

Over the years, it has grown in size due to population increase and as a result, it was declared full in 2001 but it continues to receive waste from across the capital as there is no alternative dumping site.

ACCESS ROADS

However, members of the Environment committee questioned City Hall’s plans observing that it has taken almost 15 years to complete John Osogo Road in Dandora Phase 4.

“These people (executive) for close to 15 years have failed to improve the status of John Osogo Road but the sector is proposing to do five other access roads around the dumpsite. If they failed on only one road, will they manage doing five?” posed Embakasi MCA Michael Ogada.

Mr Ogada pointed out that John Osogo as is currently, does not provide enough access and is not fully tarmacked making it difficult for trucks, especially in the rainny season, to access the dumpsite.

This is despite the road getting millions in budgetary allocations since the days of the defunct Nairobi City Council.

In 2016, the former regime set aside Sh220 million to repair access roads to the dumpsite with John Osogo getting Sh180 million and Muigai Kenyatta Road getting Sh40 million for their rehabilitation after they were destroyed by El Niño rains at the time.

“John Osogo Road has been sub-standard but after following up some 100 metres was done but as we speak the road is in a mess,” said the area MCA Francis Otieno.