By Mahlon Lichuma Asava
A section of residents of the Kipkenyo area on the outskirts of Eldoret town is calling on the Uasin Gishu County Government to put in place structures that will ensure a dump site located near them is well maintained.
Led by Maslus Wambui, the residents have complained that the poor management of the dumpsite has seen increased air and environmental pollution.
The existence of the dumpsite has also seen the area infested with flies.
“The flies are making the area so uncomfortable and this is mainly because of the bad smell from the site,” lamented Wambui, a business owner at Kipkenyo.
She also noted that an increasing number of street children within the dumpsite has also contributed to the deteriorating security, with business persons forced to close early.
“Sometimes those working here become restless and they invade our businesses asking for favours. But when denied they break in at night,” noted the businesswoman.
“The dump site may at times overflow to our homes and for people with breathing problems, they tend to suffer and also newborns have a hard time adapting to the environment,” added Bramwel Kogei, a local in the Kipkenyo area.
Kipkenyo dump site fencing
He further complained that the pigs feeding in the dump site sometimes destroy their farms at night as they are mostly let into the site during the night.
The locals now want the county to ensure the site is well secured through fencing and thrash moved to the centre.
All solid waste collected within residential estates in Eldoret town is usually dumped at the Kipkenyo site.
The county had in 2013 announced plans to expand and upgrade the Kipkenyo dump site in order to transition to a modern environmentally friendly site.
Some of the areas that were to be improved included upgrading of the road to the dump site to ease access to the landfill, and fencing with a non-permeable wall to prevent waste leakage.
But while the roads were improved, the fencing is yet to be done.
