COLLECTION,TRANSPORTATION AND DISPOSAL IN NAIROBI 91
tion service. Poor management, lack of accountability and corruption have crippled
the NCC, the principal agency for solid waste collection. The Council concentrates its
available solid waste collection services on residential areas and institutions that can
afford private service, at the expense of low-income areas. Waste disposal facilities
and practices are appalling. The involvement of the private sector and actors from civil
society has made a difference but exploitation of their potential is hampered by lack
of policy support, excessive and open competition, lack of guidance and control, and
poor coordination among the agents involved.
The sustainable development record of most solid waste collection activities in
Nairobi is rather weak. Private solid waste collection activities of larger companies are
the most promising ones, economically as well as in terms of contribution to public
health. Even these, however, are suspect as far as social equity of service distribution,
working conditions of labourers, and environmental components of sustainable devel-
opment are concerned. The contributions to urban sustainable development by smaller
private companies are adversely affected by open competition and indiscriminate
dumping. NCC operations score dismally in all dimensions of sustainable develop-
ment evaluation. Even the planned relocation of the dump is faulted in terms of
socio-economic aspects of sustainable development. The sustainable development
scores of solid waste collection activities by actors from civil society and informal
actors, although promising in some respects, should not make us forget that their
absolute contribution is minimal. Nevertheless, the future of solid waste collection
service in Nairobi arguably lies in the rapidly expanding and increasingly articulate
residential associations and their uniting bodies. Emerging out of desperate need and
led by visionary and highly educated people, these associations are already being felt.
They push and sue for quality service from the NCC and value for money service from
private solid waste collection providers.