NYS, Police Supervise Nairobi Cleanup Amid Flood Damage

Nairobi is implementing a coordinated, multi-agency clean-up initiative in response to deteriorating flooding conditions and increasing waste management issues across the city. The National Youth Service and police will play key roles in these operations. On Friday, May 1, City Hall introduced a unified sanitation plan that incorporates the Climate Worx program into Nairobi’s daily functions, representing a significant move from temporary clean-up efforts to a permanent, structured waste management system. The decision was made during a high-level planning meeting chaired by Green Nairobi County Executive Committee Member Maureen Njeri, which included national and county agencies responsible for environmental management and urban sanitation. Under the new structure, Climate Worx teams will no longer function as a separate program. Instead, they will be completely integrated into Nairobi’s regular cleaning system, supporting daily services such as litter collection and general waste handling. According to City Hall, the integration aims to eliminate redundant efforts, improve coordination, and ensure clean-up operations are continuous rather than dependent on occasional interventions, particularly in flood-prone areas. To enhance accountability, County Commissioners and Deputy County Commissioners will now directly supervise workforce attendance and lead sub-county implementation meetings every two weeks to evaluate progress and deployment effectiveness. This follows the cooperation agreement between the national government and Nairobi County, signed by President William Ruto and Governor Johnson Sakaja several months ago. Nevertheless, the new framework’s operational control will remain with Nairobi City County (NCCG), while the NYS will provide additional on-the-ground supervision to help enforce discipline and structure. In tackling ongoing waste disposal challenges, the county, working in conjunction with the Nairobi Rivers Commission and NYS teams, will deploy additional trucks to enhance garbage collection. The Chief Executive Officer of the Nairobi Rivers Commission, Brigadier Joseph Muracia, stated that sub-county implementation committees have already been established to coordinate operations at the local level. “Sub-county implementation committees are already in place to oversee coordination at the local level. We will hold regular coordination meetings, both in-person and virtual, to strengthen collaboration, maintain alignment, and support timely decision-making among all stakeholders,” Muracia said. Simultaneously, the two levels have implemented strict anti-dumping measures, including forming multi-agency enforcement units in each sub-county consisting of security officers, National Government Administration Officers (NGAO), and police to monitor compliance and conduct targeted crackdowns. The new framework is anticipated to improve cleanliness throughout the city, reduce flooding caused by blocked drainage systems, accelerate garbage collection cycles, and strengthen enforcement against illegal dumping in informal settlements and business districts.