Safisha Kanairo 2nd Edition: Zoomlion Unveils Plan to Turn Nairobi Waste Into Value

Nairobi is stepping up efforts to tackle its long-standing waste crisis, with the second edition of the Safisha Kanairo campaign seeking to transform waste from an environmental burden into an economic resource.

The campaign, a partnership between Nairobi City County Government and Zoomlion Kenya, is targeting accumulated and legacy waste as well as illegal dumpsites across the city’s 17 sub-counties.

At Korogocho Market, where a waste evacuation exercise is underway, traders say the cleanup is already improving sanitation and business.

Garbage that previously remained uncollected for months had created an unhygienic environment and exposed traders and residents to health risks. The current collection system is reportedly cheaper and more regular, with traders also noticing an improvement in customer numbers.

“The cleanliness of the market affects business. When the environment is better, customers are more comfortable coming here,” said David Kirui, Secretary of the Korogocho Market Traders Association.

The initiative, however, is designed to go beyond simply removing garbage from the streets and dumping it elsewhere.

Waste collected from the sites is currently transported to the Dandora dumpsite, but this arrangement is expected to change once Zoomlion Kenya’s Waste Recycling and Value-Addition plant under construction in Ruai becomes operational.

The proposed facility will sort collected waste and process organic material into compost and fertiliser, while plastic waste will be processed into pellets that can be used to manufacture waste bins.

The approach is expected to create a circular economy in which waste is converted into useful products while creating opportunities for employment and investment.

In Ruaraka Sub-County, the partnership has already helped close five illegal dumping sites, according to Environment Officer Evans Ochieng. The initiative is aimed at addressing illegal dumping while improving sanitation in residential and commercial areas.

Zoomlion Kenya Operations Manager Laud Mike Tagoe said the programme is designed to give Nairobi residents a cleaner city while creating a long-term market for waste through recycling and value addition.

But clearing existing waste is only the first step. The partners plan to introduce skip containers, roll-on/roll-off containers and transfer stations at cleared sites to discourage fresh dumping and improve waste collection.

The campaign has also extended to the Dandora dumpsite and surrounding communities.

On August 25, 2026, Zoomlion undertook emergency evacuations in flood-prone areas of Korogocho, targeting vulnerable families and obstructed waterways, while simultaneously accelerating engineering works at the Dandora dumpsite.

Zoomlion has established an on-site container office overlooking the dumpsite to allow its engineers and operations managers to monitor compaction, re-engineering and capping activities. The company says continuous heavy compaction has already helped eliminate severe foul odours affecting neighbouring communities, with the wider restoration project targeting ecological transformation of the site within two years.

The environmental impact is also being felt at nearby Wangu Comprehensive Primary School, which sits directly next to the dumpsite.

The school has more than 5,800 pupils and 70 teachers, including 44 hearing-impaired learners in a specialised unit. Pupils raised concerns over dumpsite fumes, garbage burning, security wall collapses and water shortages.

As part of its corporate social responsibility programme, Zoomlion distributed scholastic materials to pupils and committed to long-term collaboration with the school in tree planting, perimeter security support and environmental education.

The campaign is also positioning waste management as a source of economic opportunity, particularly for young people and waste pickers.

Zoomlion says its operations have created more than 5,000 direct and indirect green jobs, with opportunities available in recycling, organic fertiliser processing and material recovery.

The company is calling on county governments across Kenya to embrace public-private partnerships as a sustainable alternative to traditional waste management, arguing that private capital, technical expertise and proven waste-management models can help transform hazardous dumpsites into economic hubs.

For Nairobi, the ambition under Safisha Kanairo 2nd Edition is to break the familiar cycle of garbage piling up, being removed and eventually returning.

The planned Ruai facility could help drive that shift by turning waste that would otherwise end up in dumpsites into fertiliser, plastic products and employment opportunities.