Nairobi's Waste Crisis: What Residents in Korogocho and Dandora Really Think About City's Sustainability Plans

For the residents of Korogocho, sustainability feels like a distant concept. The sprawling informal settlement, home to over 200,000 people, sits metres from the Dandora dumpsite—one of East Africa's largest waste disposal sites, which receives approximately 2,500 tonnes of garbage daily from across Nairobi. The acrid smell that permeates the air here tells a different story from the glossy sustainability pledges made in uptown Nairobi boardrooms.

"They talk about green initiatives in those fancy meetings on Mombasa Road, but what do we see here? Plastic everywhere, contaminated water, children with respiratory problems," says Mary Mwangi, a community health worker who has spent the last eight years documenting health issues in the settlement. While the Nairobi City County has announced plans to reduce landfill dependency by 40% by 2030, frontline residents express deep scepticism about whether these targets will translate into tangible improvements in their daily lives.

The disconnect is stark. While the city launched its Green Nairobi Initiative last year—promoting tree-planting drives in areas like Karura Forest and the restoration of the Nairobi River corridor—residents of Dandora and surrounding informal settlements continue grappling with environmental degradation that directly impacts their health and livelihoods. Water quality tests conducted by local NGOs in 2025 revealed alarming levels of heavy metal contamination in boreholes serving the area, yet remediation efforts remain minimal.

Across town in Mathare, another densely populated informal settlement, the story mirrors that of Korogocho. Residents have begun forming their own waste management groups, collecting and segregating refuse that would otherwise end up in unregulated dumpsites. "We cannot wait for the government. We are doing this ourselves," explains one community organiser who requested anonymity due to safety concerns.

County environmental officials acknowledge the challenge. During a recent stakeholder meeting at the Safari Park Hotel, representatives from the Nairobi City County's Environment Department outlined plans to establish waste transfer stations and improve recycling infrastructure in informal settlements. However, without sufficient budget allocation—estimates suggest Ksh 8 billion is needed annually—progress remains sluggish.

What emerges from conversations with affected residents is a clear message: sustainability cannot be imposed from above. Until communities like Korogocho and Mathare see real investment in waste management infrastructure, clean water access, and air quality improvement, the county's environmental targets will ring hollow. "We don't need more policies," says one Dandora resident. "We need solutions that reach us."

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