Summary:

The Nairobi City County clean-up exercise under the “Safisha KaNairo” campaign is gaining momentum as coordinated waste evacuation and sanitation efforts expand across informal settlements, residential estates, markets, and public spaces. Supported by sanitation stakeholders including Zoomlion Kenya, the initiative targets major waste hotspots in areas such as Kibra, Mathare, Dagoretti, Kamukunji, and Embakasi. County officials describe the intervention as an urgent response to growing waste accumulation, with the broader goal of improving public health, environmental sustainability, and urban cleanliness across Nairobi.

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The Nairobi City County clean-up exercise has entered a new phase of intensified action as the county government rolls out large-scale waste evacuation and environmental restoration activities under the “Safisha KaNairo” campaign. The initiative, which is being implemented in collaboration with sanitation stakeholders including Zoomlion Kenya, is rapidly becoming one of the city’s most visible urban sanitation interventions in recent years.

Across Nairobi’s densely populated estates, informal settlements, markets, and public spaces, waste collection trucks, sanitation workers, and coordinated clean-up teams are now working around the clock to address mounting garbage accumulation that has long posed environmental and health risks to residents. County officials say the campaign is not simply a routine clean-up exercise, but an urgent and coordinated response aimed at restoring environmental dignity and improving living conditions in vulnerable communities.

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The clean-up operations are currently concentrated in several key waste hotspots spread across the city’s sub-counties. In Dagoretti North, teams are clearing waste in Borabora and Kawangare-Gitanga, while Kamukunji operations are focusing on Morale Road and Kinyango. In Starehe, sanitation crews have intensified activities around the CBD Market, one of the city’s busiest commercial centers.

Additional interventions are underway in Kasarani’s Githwamba and St. Francis areas, Embakasi East’s Vumilia zone, and Kibra’s Othaya Market and Kamukunji Grounds. In Ruaraka, clean-up teams are targeting Area 1, Korogocho Market, and Ngomongo, while Mathare operations are focusing on Huruma Grounds, MauMau, and Huruma Flats. County officials have further confirmed that additional waste evacuation exercises remain active in Senior Citizen within Dagoretti South, Embakasi South, and other identified waste-prone areas across Nairobi.

For many residents, the campaign represents more than just garbage collection. In neighborhoods where blocked drainage systems, illegal dumping, and unmanaged waste have become recurring challenges, the initiative signals renewed attention to environmental justice and public health. Poor waste management has frequently been linked to outbreaks of preventable diseases such as cholera, typhoid, respiratory infections, and other sanitation-related illnesses, especially during heavy rains and flooding seasons.

Environmental experts note that rapidly urbanizing cities like Nairobi face increasing pressure on waste management systems due to population growth, informal settlement expansion, and rising consumption patterns. Without sustained interventions, unmanaged waste can severely affect air quality, water systems, biodiversity, and climate resilience within urban ecosystems.

The “Safisha KaNairo” campaign is therefore being viewed not only as a sanitation response, but also as part of a broader environmental sustainability effort. By extending clean-up services beyond Nairobi’s Central Business District into underserved communities, the county government appears to be shifting toward a more inclusive urban environmental management approach.

Climate and environmental advocates have consistently argued that effective waste management is central to building climate-resilient cities. Poorly managed dumpsites release methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes significantly to climate change. Plastic waste also continues to clog drainage systems, worsening urban flooding during extreme weather events that are becoming more frequent due to changing climate patterns.

As the Nairobi City County clean-up exercise continues, stakeholders say long-term success will depend on sustained community participation, enforcement against illegal dumping, improved waste collection infrastructure, and increased environmental awareness among residents. While the current intervention is addressing immediate sanitation concerns, experts warn that lasting transformation will require stronger partnerships between government agencies, private sanitation providers, community groups, and residents themselves.

For now, however, the sight of cleaner streets, restored public spaces, and active waste removal teams across Nairobi is offering many residents renewed hope that the city can move toward a healthier, cleaner, and more sustainable urban future under the “Safisha KaNairo” campaign.

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