Rid Nairobi of pollution - Daily Nation

A number of factors stand in the way of Nairobi’s dream of becoming one of the best cities in the world. It may be ahead of other capitals in East and Central Africa, but the Kenyan capital lags behind some others on the continent. Its biggest challenges include traffic congestion, inadequate infrastructure and inability to provide basic amenities, such as water and garbage collection, to its fast-growing population.

Nairobi is also reeling under immense pollution and inadequate housing that have seen a huge increase in slums, where people live in hovels without the decency of toilets. This is what has driven slum dwellers into weird innovations — such as the so-called “flying toilets”, where people relieve themselves in polythene bags and throw the muck out. Luckily, the ban on plastics has helped to curb this double pollution.

According to the United Nations, every year, about 14,300 Kenyans die from health complications arising from indoor pollution. That simply means the air we breathe is not clean and poses a health hazard to humans. Naturally, Nairobi, Kenya’s most populous county, accounts for the bulk of the casualties.

Nairobi portrays the image of a prosperous emerging metropolis comparable to any. But beneath the facade is dysfunctional infrastructure, roads that are jammed daily with old second-hand motor vehicles, trucks and motorcycles that spew toxic exhaust fumes, which, according to the UN, account for 40 per cent of the air pollution in the city. The woes are compounded by widespread poverty and poor enforcement of by-laws due to corruption.

Past attempts at enhancing the air quality have been insignificant. There is a need to enforce compliance with regulations and planning to make Nairobi a better city to work and live in.​