Garbage dumped outside Stima Plaza in Nairobi on Monday, February 24. NEMA has directed Nairobi City County to remove the waste with immediate effect. [File, Standard]
The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has directed Nairobi City County to remove garbage dumped outside Stima Plaza, the headquarters of Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC), following an ongoing dispute over unpaid bills.
On Tuesday, February 25, NEMA said the waste disposal at the site is illegal, as the trucks involved are not registered.
“What we are doing now as NEMA is issuing an order to Nairobi County Government to tell them to do three things, one of them being to make sure these vehicles are removed from this site. This is not a waste disposal site,” said Dr. Ayub Macharia, the agency’s director of enforcement.
The order follows escalating tensions between KPLC and Nairobi County.
KPLC claims the county government owes it Sh3 billion in outstanding electricity bills, while the county insists KPLC has accrued Sh4.8 billion in unpaid wayleave fees for using public land and infrastructure for power lines.
On Monday, February 24, Nairobi County garbage trucks dumped trash at the entrance of Stima Plaza, forcing Kenya Power staff to leave the building due to the stench.
The county government also clamped KPLC vehicles and blocked entrances in what appeared to be retaliation for KPLC cutting off electricity to several county facilities on February 14.
In response, county officials disconnected the water supply to KPLC offices and substations despite the company having no outstanding water bills.
Rosemary Oduor, Kenya Power’s general manager for commercial and sales, said both parties had agreed to review the bills, with the verification and reconciliation process nearing completion.
“In November, it was agreed that the county government should clear reconciled bills, but they have failed to comply,” Oduor said.
She added that working conditions at Stima Plaza have deteriorated.
“This morning, we had our work going on when suddenly, a county government garbage truck dropped waste right in front of our office. Several other trucks are still on standby around the building. The stench has forced staff to vacate, and we have also faced issues like blocked sewer lines and disconnection of water, not only here but in other Kenya Power offices within Nairobi.”
NEMA has urged the county government to resolve the dispute through legal means and avoid using waste disposal as leverage.
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