Former street boy wins battle against garbage

With simple tools and no financial backing, he has risen to a challenge considered a serious headache by many local authorities in the country and has succeeded in managing the tonnes of garbage generated by residents every day.

George Kanyi has no formal training in solid waste management, but he is passionately dedicated to creating a cleaner environment.

And this passion has literally turned a dumpsite into a place for picnics.

Today, residents of Nanyuki can walk leisurely on what used to be the town’s eyesore without twitching their noses or fearing attack from scavenging street boys.

The transformation has cost Mr Kanyi more than Sh600,000, but he is not worried about whether he will ever earn anything from this investment.

For the last six months the former street boy who dropped out of school in Standard Seven has been showing up at the dumpsite every day armed with a rake and gunny bags.

Solid waste

His routine involves sorting the solid waste before destroying it, either by burning it or turning it into compost. He has ready cheap labour from street families who have turned the site into their home.

“My vision is to remove this eyesore from our midst. After that I can only hope that I will reap some benefits from my investment,” the hay trader said.

It all started late last year when Mr Kanyi, who resides near the dump, reasoned that the 100-acre plus site could be put to better use. As a hay trader he had difficulties meeting the demands of his customers and knew he could earn more if he had his own grass plantation.

With no land of his own, he approached Nanyuki Water and Sewerage Company (Nawasco), the owners of the site.

“I went to Nawasco in November last year with a proposal, and was told to wait. In February I got a positive response,” he said.

A 10-year agreement was then signed under which Mr Kanyi was to rehabilitate the site for free. He would remove all the solid waste and beautify the area and plant grass at the site. There would be no lease charges for five years.

For the past six months, he has managed to clear nearly all the garbage from the site.

“The street boys who reside here are now my workers. They no longer scavenge for valuables but wait for lorries to dump the waste and then sort out what is to be burned,” he said.

He estimates that Nanyuki residents generate 40 tonnes of solid waste a day.

Every day at least 15 boys are hired for Sh200 to sort out the garbage.

Paper is gathered and burned, plastic containers are put aside in a heap, and vegetable waste is given for free to livestock farmers. Fifty acres of the dumpsite have been cleared, but he is yet to plant grass.