Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has regretted the move by the City County government to dump garbage outside Stima Plaza in Ngara that was caused by a feud with the Kenya Power and Lighting Company Limited (KPLC).
Addressing a press conference at the City Hall VIP entrance on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, Sakaja said that the trucks were not meant to dump the garbage but only to block the entrance to the Stima Plaza.
According to Sakaja, the action will be dealt with internally.
“It was unfortunate that one of the trucks tipped and dumped the garbage. That was not our intention, and that is why in less than 30 minutes that garbage was collected. That is not how Nairobi County operates, and the whole action will be dealt with internally.
Sakaja on agreement with KPLC
The City County boss further said that a meeting between the leadership of the county, Public Service, Ministry of Energy and the leadershiop of Kenya power had resolved to end the hostility that had been triggered by debts.
Sakaja pointed out that a joint statement would be issued to clarify the issues they had agreed on. He went ahead to state that he had ordered his officers to restore water supply to Kenya Power premises and remove garbage trucks that have been blocking access to the utility firm’s offices.
“We have had a fruitful meeting with the leadership of the Ministry of Energy led by Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi. We had the head of Public Service, we had Kenya Power Limited, and our officers and teams. We agreed on a number of issues, and a joint statement is going to be issued. The joint statement will clarify the issues that we have agreed upon. The first thing we have resolved is that the hostilities end and issues be sorted out amicably. We have now given instructions to restore water supply to their premises and to remove the trucks that have been blocking access,” Sakaja said.
Garbage dumped at Kenya Power
Kenya Power operations were disrupted on Monday, February 24, 2025, after garbage was dumped at their headquarters at Stima Plaza in a dispute with Nairobi County over unpaid bills.
Speaking on the incident on February 24, 2025, Kenya Power’s General Manager for Commercial Services and Sales, Rosemary Oduor, accused staff from the Nairobi County government of the act.
She attributed the incident to Kenya Power’s recent decision to disconnect electricity supply to county government installations for non-payment.
“This morning, we had our work going on, and then all of a sudden, we realized that there were county government trucks with garbage. One of them came and dropped the garbage right in front of our commercial offices at Stima Plaza. Several other trucks with garbage are still on standby around the building,” Oduor stated.
The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) had ordered the Nairobi City County to remove the garbage trucks stationed at the premises of the Kenya Power in Nairobi.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, NEMA’s Environmental Education director, Ayub Macharia, said that the retaliatory measures by City Hall violate environmental laws.
Macharia further noted that the neighboring residents and businesses have been unfairly affected by the bad smell coming from the garbage trucks.
“The smell does not respect boundaries. There are residential houses around here, there are eateries, some hotels, and some business premises that are affected. Although we heard of a conflict, other parties who are not part of the conflict are also being affected. That is why we have come here to uphold the rule of law. What we are doing now as NEMA is issuing an order to the Nairobi County government to do three things, and one of them is to ensure that those vehicles are removed from these sites. This is not a waste disposal site,” he said.
